At This Time

(Refrain)          At this time of empty churches,

                                                fill us, Great Spirit, fill and refresh.

                                                Take this dust and breathe life through it,

                                                form us, Creator, form and reform

                                                Walk through walls, say “Peace be with you!”

                                                call us by name, Christ, call and recall.

                                                Let our hearts ignite within us,

                                                stir up our gifts, Lord, stir and renew.

1. Stranger joined them on their walk:

first to listen, then to talk.

Hearts began to recognize,

though they dared not trust their eyes.

(Refrain)

2. Something urged them to appeal:

“Come inside and share our meal!”

We invite him to our space,

home becomes our meeting place.

(Refrain)

3. Though he vanished from their sight,

their resolve was burning bright.

Resurrected life is new,

only found by going through.

(Refrain)

4. So may we be moved to say

he has joined us on the way,

known to us in what we share:

food and word and mutual care.

(Refrain)

                                                            Barbara Messner March 2020

Palm Sunday 2020

Praising with palms is out this year.

Each in a fenced yard separately

keeps to a distance brave but bare.

Man on a donkey wanders in –

do we pretend we cannot see

someone has breached our safety space?

He bows his head in irony,

knowing full well acclaim is brief,

even disciples can betray.

He heard hosannas in the air

turning in days to shouts of rage

blown by the powerful gusts of fear.

Torn by a crowd’s capricious will,

he they had hoped would be their king

died as their victim on a hill.

Keeping our distance may yet bless

those who would leave the ranting crowd,

wanting to offer him our grief.

Now we may find an empty space

witness to life as yet unknown;

there in the garden hear his voice.

Doors may be locked, but he comes in;

breathes on us – spirit flame springs up.

Suddenly tongues can speak his name.

Barbara Messner March 2020

If Christ could weep

If Christ could weep for friends, for death, for grief,

and still call out to one entombed: “Come out!”,

so we can grieve at this pandemic thief,

and still expect to hear or voice that shout,

and in the valley of dry bones, prepare

to fill our lungs with Spirit wind and cry:

“O dry bones, hear the living word and dare

to rise from that parched earth on which you lie.

Connected, lifted up, await the sigh

of Spirit wind to stir to life your breath!”

For Christ could weep and pray his fate passed by,

avoiding suffering, sparing him from death,

but sharing all with us, he dared the cross,

and from his tomb, new life sprang out of loss.

Barbara Messner March 2020