Dearly Beloved,
Grace and Peace to you.
The stone that the builders rejected
has become the chief cornerstone.
This is the Lord’s doing;
it is marvelous in our eyes.
—Psalm 118.22-23
Jesus is not an underdog,
neither an unfortunate, unwitting dupe
nor a small, plucky hero who will get out of this.
No, he chooses this damnation.
Whom we reject God embraces.
Whom we condemn is God,
the least of these.
The leper, the prisoner, the quiet,
the misfit, the queer, the lonely,
the battered, the raped or impoverished
we judge and expel.
They are the Divine among us.
When we do not love them
we do not love God.
What we are afraid of, what we hate the most,
this is Christ on his little donkey.
He will be our king.
The criminal element our own hearts,
the anger, the fear, the lust for power
and for having things our way:
God is there, seeking our mercy.
The sorrows, the weakness,
the great, heavy unknowing:
this is Christ, entering the city.
The mercy we reject, the forgiveness,
the nonviolence and compassion
we forego for the sake of our anxiety,
the love we deny
God makes the foundation.
The holiness we forsake
God builds into our souls.
Even the death we cause
God makes the empty grave of our faith.
The Christ we crucify,
God will make our Lord.
It is the Holy One’s doing;
it is marvelous in our eyes.
Deep Blessings,
Pastor Steve
__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net
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