Devotional - Psalm 8:1-2: The Attic Child

Lord, our Lord,

   how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory

   in the heavens.

Through the praise of children and infants

   you have established a stronghold against your enemies,

   to silence the foe and the avenger.  Psalm 8:1-2 NIV

Once, long ago, in a crib high and hidden in an attic, there was a lonely little girl.  She had been moved from her sunny room in the center of the house to make space for a precious new baby sister.  There wasn’t enough space in the heart of the house for both girls, so the toddler slept in the attic, clutching the crib-rail so that she would not fly off into the night as the household spun around the axis of the newborn.

There were nights when the attic-child cried herself to sleep.  She would cry, and wait, and listen to see if anyone was coming.  But no one did, and she would cry again, and sleep, and wake in an empty room.  She was too far away for the grownups to hear.  There was a bear named John who did care, but there was very little he could do for her as he was stuffed with cotton and could not move of his own volition.

The child was left defenseless.  At least it seemed so to her - until the night the witch came.

Sleeping soundly, the little attic-girl sensed a dark stirring at the periphery of her consciousness.  She woke, but felt afraid to open her eyes.  There was a presence.  She was not alone in the attic.

Witches (evil witches) thrive on terror.  They need neither take nor touch their victims to torment them until they are in an extremity of fear. This witch simply stood in the shadows between the small child and the attic door and began to cackle.  Slow and low at first, but building to a cacophonous crescendo.

Adrenaline coursed through the child’s system and every hair stood on end. Her pulse raced faster and faster as she tried not to draw the attention of the witch.  But a scream was building and it burst from her with terrifying force!  She screamed and she screamed and she screamed and the witch laughed louder.

Nobody came.  No one.

John couldn’t fight for her, because he was a bear stuffed with cotton and could not move of his own volition.

The sleeping household spun in the night around the axis of the newborn.

Terror unhinged her, and the child lost her hold on the crib-rail.  She was thrown into the air by centrifugal force, spinning out of control through the dark attic space.  Her little body passed right through the hideous hag, who vanished like a cold mist at dawn. The evil laughter stopped abruptly, burned away by the heat of the child passing through.

Between the crib and the door and the utter blackness of the void beyond the attic, that child was caught up in a pair of ARMS!  She found herself held and bound by safety, safety so tangible that it felt like all the love for which she had ever cried herself to sleep.  No light came on in the room, yet it seemed to the little girl that the room WAS light, and that she was held by light, and that she was filled with light.  It was this light that had revealed the witch for what she was - nothing but a vapor.  Nothing but a dream.

Those strong arms cradled the child, and the person to whom they were attached bent down and kissed her on her forehead. That kiss became a star in a crown that the little girl would wear for the rest of her life, but that night, she just fell back asleep.  ~ Beverly Ewart 3.27.15

Light into color,

water into wine...

I kick off my shoes -

The earth is divine!

 

Beverly  6.12.14



1 Corinthians 13: 4-7

(From April 13 & 14 sermon @ New Hope Community Church)

1 Corinthians 13:4-7  Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love is patient. 2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” If God had not been patient with us, there would have been no cross, for God recognized our absolute inability to love him and to love each other WITHOUT HIS HELP. When we lose patience with each other, we have to look at the cross and see how God waited for US - He allowed himself to be NAILED IN PLACE – so that we could find him! Let's wait for each other there with Him.

Love is kind. Kindness looks beyond self to the needs of others. God's kindness led Him to save us, because we could not save ourselves. He recognized our need. He stopped – he stooped. Is there someone who needs your kindness? Does it mean you need to stop for a minute? Or is it too inconvenient? We are the hands and feet of the Gospel – the BODY of Christ. If we do not extend kindness in this world, how will the people God so loves ever experience God's kindness as we have? If we do not extend kindness to our brothers and sisters (as the Corinthians were not), why would anyone OUTSIDE the church want to be a part of it?

Love does not envy. Envy is a big killer of love. Envy whispers that somebody is getting a bigger piece of the pie and it's not fair. But the truth is that our God serves us daily from his table, if we will gather there. The more we are filled with good things from his table, the less we will have an appetite for things that weren't served by his hand. We will be content to see him pass good things to our brothers and sisters, happy to be in their company, delighted just to be at the table. God's riches are never diminished by his generosity! (Teresa of Avila, loosely quoted.)

Love does not boast. Some of the Corinthians were boasting about their spiritual gifts. When we boast we are looking for people to compare us to others and find us BETTER than others. It's not about being happy about being really good at something – that is just delighting in the way God made you. It is about BEING BETTER THAN. A person who wants to be better than others is not a person who is considering actually loving them. People become the backdrop for a stage built for one, and that one is NOT God.

Love is not proud. The Corinthians were fighting with each other, pushing each other out of the communion line, lining up behind this teacher or that one, suing each other, etc.... They even refused to submit to Paul's leadership as an Apostle. Pride would rather break fellowship or start a riot than lay down her rights for the sake of love. A wonderful antidote to pride is THANKFULNESS. How can we remain proud if we remember how far God had to go in order to rescue us – and why!?

Love does not dishonor others. Mother Teresa said, “Let us always meet each other with a smile, for a smile is the beginning of love.”

The Corinthians were practicing favoritism based on wealth and on which teacher people were considering themselves followers of. Have you ever experienced rejection – ever not been greeted by a brother or sister because of which political party you belong to, which local church you attend or what you believe about certain peripheral doctrines? Don't you wish brothers and sisters would see us through God's eyes and extend love and even forgiveness when it's called for? Let us trust that our brothers and sisters in this church and in each local church are trying their best, just as we are. Let's trust Jesus with people and love and greet them with a smile BECAUSE HE LOVES THEM and has a calling on their lives.

Love is not self-seeking. We tend to view love as an exchange, “If you love me, I will love you.” It's easier to travel with those who love, accept and appreciate us, our “safe” people. Self-preservation is evidenced by the herd-instinct. This was happening in Corinth, and they were trampling each other!

But Jesus said, “If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Matthew 5: 46-48

Love is not easily angered. We should be angry about injustice and oppression, and allow our anger to be a catalyst for healthy action. But here Paul was referring to the kind of anger that arises when we are not getting our own way, the anger that's evidenced at a game when the players or the fans curse or riot because their team lost. Earlier in 1 Corinthians Paul said (paraphrased), “Wouldn't you just rather let it go than take a grievance with a brother or sister to a pagan court?” If we truly believe God is FOR us, we can actually give up our right to be right and let God take care of outcomes! It's a much less stressful way of living. We are family in Christ. If a brother or sister wrongs us, we need to keep that in mind – and trust our Father to help them make it right OR help us see OUR fault and make amends.

Love keeps no record of wrongs. If words could be weighed, then “unforgiveness” would weigh heaviest, for it demands to be carried and grows heavier with each passing year. “Love” is the lightest word – light, indeed, because Love carries us.

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. I found a great illustration of this in Joshua chapter 22: The Reubenites, Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh had done what Moses commanded by helping their fellow Israelites conquer Canaan. Joshua told them they could return to the homes Moses gave them on the other side of the Jordan. When they came to the banks of the Jordan, before they crossed over, they built an altar. When the Israelites heard about it, they immediately gathered against them. 

But first, the Israelites sent a delegation to Reuben & Co. to ask: ‘How could you turn away from the LORD and build yourselves an altar in rebellion against him?

Reuben & Co. replied: “We have not turned from our LORD. We built this altar in HONOR of our God and yours.”

When the delegation returned to Canaan and reported to the Israelites, they were glad to hear the report and praised God. And they talked no more about going to war.

The Reubenites and the Gadites gave the altar this name: A Witness Between Us—that the LORD is God.

The Israelites concluded, on hearing reports of the altar , that their brothers were sinning. But the Israelites CHECKED OUT the story before they set out for war! They weren't looking for an excuse to go to war. They were so thankful that they didn't have to!

That altar by the Jordan reminds me of the Cross. When we are in danger of judging brothers and sisters, we need to meet them at the cross and get God's perspective on the situation. The Cross stands as a witness between us that the Lord is OUR God.

Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always

perseveres. Henri Nouwen wrote, “When God looks at our world, God weeps because the lust for power has entrapped and corrupted the human spirit. Instead of gratitude, there is resentment; instead of praise there is criticism; instead of forgiveness there is revenge; instead of healing there is wounding; instead of compassion there is competition; instead of cooperation there is violence; instead of love there is fear.”

How can we let love dictate our response to people – especially within the family of God - rather than fear that we might not get love back? Or that they might get a bigger piece of the pie than us? It seems like our only option is a miracle, and I thank God that he has provided one: Jesus. Jesus did not worry about whether we would or would not accept, appreciate, like or love Him. He knew we NEEDED a word of hope, of love, and of life – and he spoke it. He WAS it. He saved us. Not based on anything we deserved – but because of His love.

Every day my heart bleeds out. I lack love when I most need it. Every day I must go back to the Father for a transfusion – for the love of Christ to flow through my veins. Like manna, I can gather enough – there is always enough – for THIS day, THAT person. The bread of life from his table. The BREAD of LIFE. Not to hoard, but to hold out. An acceptable offering.

Colossians 3:12-14 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Beverly - 2013

Open Portal

Sometimes, just in the
very now,
a portal will open and I have to lean way back in the brightness.

It's all just in the
very now.

I don't bother to try to
capture any images
except what my tongue can hold;
a flake of manna,
like snow,
melted almost before I know it's there.

Beverly - 2/11/13

Taking every snake captive...

Snake Bite
by Beverly Ewart

The only thing preventing me from picking up a snake these days is the thought of the tetanus shot. Used to be I could pick up a snake as quickly and easily as anybody – but not anymore. Not since the tetanus shot. I'm not afraid of snakes, but the thought of the tetanus shot gives me great panic and anxiety.

I have a dear friend who feels great panic and anxiety about snakes, believe it or not, yet she is cool as snakes about shots and any other various and sundry medical procedures. When we walk together she always asks that I warn her if I see a snake, and I always hope secretly that I will see a snake. She thinks that snakes are attracted to her, since she loathes them, and I hope they are – since we walk together fairly
regularly. I think snakes are loathe to come near me, since they know I am attracted to them. They seem to be like cats in that regard.

In fact, the last time we walked together – sure enough – we saw a snake! My friend heard it first (how you hear a snake is beyond me – I guess you hear what you are listening for). She reacted by squeaking loudly and hiding behind me and I reacted by lunging for the snake – until I remembered two things: One – the tetanus shot. Two – I was supposed to be PROTECTING my friend! I got carried away in the excitement of the moment and became entirely selfish! (Lest you think my friend was behaving in a cowardly manner, let me remind you that, if she were taking me in for a tetanus shot I would not only have been squeaking and hiding, I would also have been crying and passing out!)

There is something so satisfying about a fistful of snake! Since the time I was five- years-old and found myself in a nest of snakes on an island in Lake George, I have always taken delight in catching (and releasing) snakes.  However, the last time I caught a snake, I was bitten! (Why that never happened earlier is just grace, I suppose,  and  I'm glad that snake wasn't a rattlesnake.) Coincidentally, a few days prior to being bitten, I had been notified that my tetanus booster had expired. When I called to make an appointment for my booster the day after my snake-bite, the nurse informed me they were short on the vaccine, and could only give shots in an emergency. I was very gracious and told the nurse I had no problem with waiting however long it took. But then the nurse added this:

“You haven't had a recent puncture wound, have you?”

I laughed – still relieved... until I thought of something: Snake bite! Did that count as a puncture-wound? Did I have to tell her? What if it DOES count? What if I get tetanus and die just because I neglected to mention my recent snake bite? Maybe it wouldn't count... It wouldn't. It wasn't a rusty nail or anything sinister like that – it was just a snake bite, and the snake seemed pretty healthy – spunky, even.

“Does a snake bite count?” I asked, sort of laughing like I knew it didn't and was just joking.

“A SNAKE BITE?!” she exclaimed.

“Well – it wasn't a POISONOUS snake,” I said, “it was just a small snake that bit me when I picked it up in the woods yesterday.”

“You had better come in,” she said. “A snake bite counts as a puncture wound.”

I'm more cautious now.  When I take “snake walks,” I bring gloves.