Bethlehem, in the West Bank, remains a difficult place to get to. I recall being searched by armed Israeli police and having my passport scrutinized before being allowed to proceed to the Church of the Nativity. The photo above shows not a manger but a chaotic presence of a border wall which surrounds Bethlehem. ThisContinue reading ““Immensity cloistered in thy dear womb,””
Category Archives: Uncategorized
And is it true?
The English poet John Betjeman’s poem “Christmas” has been part of my Christmas celebration each and every year, along with Eliot’s Journey of the Magi. I often used his poem in worship on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Eliot’s poem will be my next post! For now, just 6 days away from Christmas, it isContinue reading “And is it true?”
Emptying
The spontaneous ceasefire on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in 1914 came about as British, Belgian, and French soldiers put down their weapons and climbed out of their trenches and joined with German soldiers singing Silent Night Holy Night! A moment of palpable peace in the madness of war, a glimmer of grace amidst the gruesomeContinue reading “Emptying”
Divine Arriving – Divine Waiting?
Advent – a time of waiting. We often think it is us who do all the waiting, but perhaps it is God who is waiting for us to come to our proper sense of soul and it is God waiting for our prodigal return. I wonder? James K. A. Smith who edits the journal ImageContinue reading “Divine Arriving – Divine Waiting?”
Waiting!
In the Christian calendar December 3rd marks the first Sunday of Advent. This is a season of preparation , a season of waiting, a season of hoping, a season of expectation. Today in our war torn world many people and nations wait, hope and expect something better than the present. Those of us in theContinue reading “Waiting!”
The Kingdom!
I grew up in Carrickfergus, Co. Antrim, N. Ireland. The Norman castle was the dominant feature of the town’s landscape. On many occasions major celebrations were marked by events in and around the castle. N. Ireland for sure is a place that keeps memories for all too long, and centuries of history was often replayedContinue reading “The Kingdom!”
After-Life
Today, even though the calendar says mid November, it felt like late summer, as I strolled around the Missouri Botanical Gardens, here in St. Louis. Autumn will soon move to winter and the sparkle of sun on fallen leaves will be a memory. Today is also my 199th post on this blogsite, Prayers Poems andContinue reading “After-Life”
Poetry pops up in strange places!
The bag was just sitting in the room, a leftover from a granddaughter’s birthday event, and there staring at me were words I had learned in High School some 50 + years ago! Words which were first written close to 250 years ago! Here they appear as a marketing ploy for handmade soap. At leastContinue reading “Poetry pops up in strange places!”
“Spools of Suffering”
Once upon a time, it took a little time to capture an image with the camera. Such “time” allowed for a little separation between what was captured and what our eye would now behold. Today, war photography spares no time, no separation, no breath between capturing another’s last breath and our own next breath! TheContinue reading ““Spools of Suffering””
The Beauty of Autumn
Today I return to a poem and prayer I used in October 2021. Yesterday, I walked round a golf course that at every turn exhibited autumn colors at their best. Amidst the present chaos and tragedy of war I found those few hours to be soul restoring in the madness of the world. The originalContinue reading “The Beauty of Autumn”
Prayers, Poems, and Christian Ponderings 