Abba, bless me, so in all that I do
In all things, I may give glory to you
Grant, I pray, the peace and the grace
Content to be still and gaze at your face
I love to sit by your side and listen to your voice
But so often I'm restless: distracted by noise
Rushing around in perpetual motion
When I need to be in perpetual devotion
God be my joy, come and be my light
Come to my aid; rescue me in my plight
By rising to life, the flesh, you glorified
In the shadow of your cross I will hide
In death, you overcame both sin and grave
Your love for me was strong enough to save
Be my one love, my God, my King, my Prince of Peace
Satisfy this holy hunger and ever increase
You take us back even when, your love, we spurn
You come running out to meet us on our return
You are my inheritance and my worth Oh Lord
You reconcile us to yourself with one accord

Sometimes we need a place to be alone with God
When you feel walked over like a sad piece of sod
We need to find a secret place, the soul's retreat
Where the love between heaven and earth shall meet
I can disappear inside the shadow of his wings
And know the peace that true closeness brings
I can fly away and leave this world and its cares behind
It is in these times that the Lord will gently remind
Us He is our strength and our strong tower
And in his radiant glory, the darkness will cower
I will wash in the stream of eternal life
By grace, I will be made like new
I will bask in healing warmth of the light
Of love that can only come from You
I will join the angels in their unending son
And dance with every ounce of my being
I will sit at your feet the whole day long
I can scarce take in the splendor I'm seeing
I will spend an hour in your presence
But a second is an hour, an hour is a day
My soul finds a pure profound pleasance
And, once again, I know that I will be okay

Sometimes we are walking down the road
Chatting and discussing the news of late
Minding ourselves when we meet a fellow
Who is traveling in the same direction
Clearly a visitor, he's so awfully out of date
But we walk and talk and bring Him up to speed
He talks to us in words both sacred and profane
Words that harken to our spirits' unity
And speak to our hearts individually
Our hearts burn deep within us
Like an age old song or ancient melody
Something foreign, but pleasantly familiar
What it is, I can't quite recall
Finally, we arrive at our destination
The sun is low and the day is growing old
Our companion makes to keep travelling
"Where are you going? It's late.
Please stay and join us at table".
During the meal He takes the bread
Blesses it and says a prayer
Our eyes are opened, but He isn't there
"That man had to have been our Jesus!
As He spoke, were not our hearts burning?
And when He sat at table, were not our souls yearning?
We clung to His words like dying men
And the awakening when He said Amen!"
But we had been blind to his presence before us
He was there while we were thinking "poor us"
Looking right at Him, still we could not see
Our friend who died upon the hill of Calvary
Open the eyes of our hearts and may we be of one accord
To recognize that, on the road, we were walking with the Lord

When the church all says amen
And when the people pray, then
The Lord God, from heaven, will hear
He will bring comfort and dry every tear
Our hearts and our lands begin to heal
And we shall see God's face revealed
When we stand with our brothers and sisters in faith
Together, we can make this a better, happier place
We cannot be timid; we can't afford to stay silent
While wars rage on and life becomes more violent
All it takes for evil to win is for good not to take action
How about we deprive Satan of that satisfaction
Values are shifting and new opinions are learned
Tradition being tossed out, old truths are being spurned
No more do we have the blind leading the blind
When we act as one body, one spirit, on mind
With one voice we will proudly profess
The faith that we believe; the faith that we confess
Prayer and action, faith and works, putting love into practice
Speaking out in the desert like John the Baptist
The world may call us things like Jesus Freak
We may as well be speaking in Greek
So, maybe they won't listen to what we have to say
But they watch our actions and the message we convey
Call upon the Lord, and glory in your suffering
For, in Him, our hope eternally springs
Lord, bring the church through this cleansing fire
That we, your bride, would fulfill your heart's desire
Deliver us Oh Lord, from the pride by which we fall
Deliver us Oh Lord, when we are up against the wall
Deliver us Oh Lord, from the sin with which we shackle
Our feet and hands. Our obstacles, Lord, help us tackle
Free us so we may dance with you in sweet surrender
Open our eyes to see through the disguise of the wily pretender
Let the light of your love shine in our lives
For, not all is lost while love and hope alone survives

How deep is your love (for me)?
That stretches from sea to shining sea
How much higher than the mountains
Streams of life flowing down from endless fountains
How deep is your love for me?
It's a little overwhelming this Endless Love
To feel the weight of your glory falling from above
I am swept forward in this flood of grace amazing
Even now, ever new trails, my heart is blazing
One thing leads to another
And pretty soon I will discover
Rarely, are things as simple as it seems
For now, I'm in a place far beyond my wildest dreams
"How much do you trust me?"
"How deep is your love for me?"
Says the Lord, God of Hosts
It is in Christ's abundant mercy that my spirit boasts
We are playing now for high stakes
It's not a gamble when it's for souls' sake
Never was a time when the stakes have been higher
It is of critical importance, the situation is dire
Sometimes I marvel at your perfect timing
But I still need, at times, your gentle reminding
That Your generosity and love will not be outdone
And I would ask, Lord, let's keep having fun
May I disappear in you as you increase
And may the joy and wonder never cease

Let love like sweet perfume
Permeate this sacred room
No longer is Jesus in the tomb
The stone was rolled away
To reveal a brilliant light
All around stood amazed
At this miraculous sight
The sweet perfume of lilies
Was caught up on the breeze
And lifted up to Heaven on high
Like the prayers down on our knees
He is risen, he lives once more
Oh, come let us worship and adore
Like sweet perfume, we are drawn
To follow and to seek the source
We search for an invisible force
May our lives turn out to be
Like sweet perfume unto thee
Attractive to others, a blessing too
But, in all things, may it point to you
Let your love, like sweet perfume,
Surround me and always enfold
As I strive to listen and do what I'm told
A love worth more than all the gold
Let your love warm my heart and soul
Kindle the flame of love in these coals
Let me burn for you with holy desire
Let it reach ever farther and higher
To you, our prayers are oh so sweet
Without your love we are incomplete
Fill our lungs with the sweet peace of God
That we may walk where even angels haven't trod

Remember Death... Remember to Live

Today is a day of reflection and remembrance of death, of the frailty and fleeting nature of earthly life. Jesus is dead. Some feel the pain and loss, some carry on with life, but everyone is changed. Jesus was only thirty-three when he died and had only been in his public ministry for three years. I don't know how it was back then, but by today's standards, that's awfully young. I've known several people who were quite young who have passed away recently, and it makes me stop and wonder "What am I doing with my life?" Am I focusing on what really matters or am I not utilizing well what precious little time I have? It is important to remember that we will die, and things of this world are fleeting that it may temper our lives, but we should also focus on making the most of life. Live, love, hurt, laugh, cry: all of these things help us know we are truly alive. It is not just physical death that is important to remember either. Sin causes spiritual death, and true love is sacrificial: dying to oneself for the joy and well-being of another. Jesus died to give us life. His life was His love and He gave it away. Jesus gave us everything. We can and ought to give something back to him because "we would have nothing, nothing, nothing if we didn't have Him". Jesus died to nail our sins upon the cross and as we die with Christ, so too will we rise with Him. May God help us to die to ourselves and live for others. When we live for others, we also live for God: "Whatever you do for the least of my brothers and sisters, you do for me". I pray that at the end of your life, that you don't have any regrets for wanting to do something and not doing it. Don't forget to tell your parents, your spouse, your family and friends that you love them and cherish them. Call that person, that friend that you haven't talked to in years. Be generous and compassionate to the person on the street. Don't wait, because tomorrow could be too late. We are not promised tomorrow, we are only promised right now. We are only promised today. So, today and everyday we pray: Memento Mori... Memento Vivere.

Remember Death, but most importantly... Remember to Live!

Amen

Caught in our wild sweaty wickedness,
he hastily withdrew,
left me like meat:
dragged, debased,
exposed and butchered
on ***** ochre soil.
Old men’s lewd burning eyes
******* transgression
spiced with rectitude.
Young men sniff my adultery
and swell like figs
succulent with stricture.
Women boil the oil of resentment
and anoint my skin
with blistering imagination.

Ringed by scorn,
I kneel before a judge
who bends down and
draws in the dirt.

Guilt lusts for sacrifice, but
no one is worthy
to light the refining pyre,
except the one who draws
in the drab yellow dust.
Impotent and muttering
my accusers sulk into the sand.

His cool clear gaze
looks at my filthy bitterness
without grimace.
His living words
whittle my trespasses away
sculpting a cleansing change.

Why must they take my Lord from me?
Why, oh why, can they not see
What it is they have really done?
They have killed God's only son.
I know he came to suffer and die
But I hold him in my arms, and I cry:
"Abba, my father, why must this be true
For Jesus, he was my son too.
Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.
Father, my father, if only they knew"
Let these tears that fall be as sweet perfume
As I lay our son in a borrowed tomb
Father, my father, cleanse them from their sin
Father, I beg you, don't let Satan win.
In my heart I knew this day would come,
But part of me, to this fact, was numb.
I am pierced by sorrow so deep and wide
Your cousin and I alone stand at your side.
My heart is broken on the altar of love
As my tears mix with the rain from above.
In an instant, I would trade my life for his.
I would die so that he might live.
But may it be done according to Your Will
You were my God, and you are still
My faith remains steadfast even in this darkest night
I believe that we will once again see your Holy Light

Amen