Consider. Jessica Mumley

Galations Series Revelation 4-5 Tim Knipp

Transformed: Easter 2020 - Christian Lindbeck

Suspended between heaven and earth,

between God and man,

splayed like an insect,

pinned,

excoriated,

spat on;

serrated breaths

catch and snag,

carpal bones grind,

tarsals strain.

His beloved head

drips crimson sweat,

His eyes blur with torment,

His heart lacerated

by betrayal,

denial

and viscous hate.

Yet He summoned strength

to whisper, “Forgive them”

and offer hope to an expiring thief,

like Him,

condemned to a slow,

cruel death

upon an

intersection of

splintered wood.

Yet today,

this tool of torture

and intimidation,

like swords into ploughshares

is transformed,

rehabilitated –

its ugly associations shattered.

Two intersecting beams

become shorthand,

a universal symbol

of hope.

The crux imissa

becomes the Cross of Christ.

Transformed

as we are when we see Him newly raised,

whether in a graveside garden,

daubed in dew;

along a footpath to Emmaus,

or crouched beside a beach fire,

picking fish bones from his teeth.

From life

to death

to life: the sequel,

transformation and renewal

have been His goal.

All nature echoes this motif:

winter melts to spring,

each dawn is born anew;

narcissus bulbs burst forth

in heady abundance

despite a fearful virus

on the loose.

As the seed sprouts in dark soil –

crucified with Christ –

so death produces life –

I no longer live but Christ lives in me.

As rotting vegetation

leeches nutrients to enrich the earth –

united with Him in death –

new life springs heavenward –

united with Him in resurrection.

Transformed.

Renewed.

Hallelujah!

True Worth: Galatians series - Tim Knipp (Gal. 6)

To be held in high esteem
we strive daily,
whether earned or feigned,
the goal remains:
to avoid abasement
and ridicule,
to maintain a firm grasp
of our self-perceived selves
though the outlines tremble.

Yet all that
is shifting smoke -
see it waver, fade,
dissolve.

The only honor 
worth clinging to
is what Christ did for me.
I no longer need 
the world's esteem -
that false measuring stick
that zeroed out my Lord
and tried to color Him shamed
by an obscene 
and ignominious end.

He, and He alone
can set my value
because He fooled them
by having power
even over death.
He clothed Himself
with our shame -
yours and mine -
then ripped it from Him
and rose
to claim His well-deserved
throne.

Today, once again
foundations have shifted.
Identities have proved translucent,
no longer holding sway
and we wonder 
who we are
apart from familiar constructs.

Yet Paul reminds us:

Trust not in yourself
or your reputation or riches
but in Christ's life,
His death
and resurrection.
Everything about Him 
declares our worth
and as we cling to that,
He transforms us
into diadems --
mirrored fragments --
refractions
of His glory.

Shine on.

Choosing the True: Galatians series - Christian Lindbeck (Gal. 13: 19-24)

We sing to you, oh, Mighty One.

Listen between breaths
to the whispers
that sing sibilantly
and coax us
into a deeper love,
into a closer and closer
facsimile
of Christ.

We know that ugly
behavior
results in ruin
and destruction -
seeded as it is 
by licentiousness
and selfish desire.

Put it aside.

You are recognized
as His own
when you choose 
love. joy. peace.
and all that flows
from these.

Let everything else
fall way
and grasp His hand -
unseen and impalpable
though it may be.
Hold to what you know
is True.

The True is
solid as a fortified tower
rising up
in the desert;
no fleeting mirage
nor subject to
whims of erosion
from the siroccos 
of time.

It is more true
than all that 
I hold dear in this life;
more true 
than all that I count on
daily
to delight,
sustain, and
color my life.

The Truth 
is greater than
all I fear,
see how it endures
in spite of me.

If I turn my back
on Truth
and choose my self,
wreckage 
will trail in my wake.

If I chose the True,
even though I stumble,
sweet fruit will bud
and grow within me.

As I walk
with uncertain
toddler steps,
I will try to match mine
to the imprints
of the Spirit,
see them embedded
in sand,
one by steadfast
one. 

Listen. Love. : Galatians series - Tim Knipp (Gal. 5:13-18)

Listen.
Listen.
Past the chatter of self
and me, me, me;
still the flesh-based 
demands.
Listen
to the Spirit -
the string attached
to the kite
of Jesus.
Feel the tug.
Let it pull you forward.

Close down the natterings
and panic posts,
the accusations
and irritants;
not by anesthetizing
but by bathing
in the Spirit.

If you listen,
you'll hear whispers
of love amid 
the bird song.

The antidote to self-absorption
and paranoia
is not grasping and
hording but
giving,
openhanded.

Lay aside the smothering
blankets of fear
and the noxious fumes
of greed.
Rise up 
to serve
in love.

The One who loves
each one of us,
who suffered
and suffers
with and for us 
can teach us how
if we
listen.
If we love.

Walk On: Galatians series - Christian Lindbeck (Gal. 5:1-13)

Free to be free
from burdens and chains.
Unpack these,
lay them down
and walk on.
Free to reject
destructive impulses
and rebellious tantrums.
Free to grow strong
and abundantly
fruitful.

Tell the truth,
get it out there:
none of us can earn it
but this amazing gift is ours
when we admit our failings
and believe
that Christ
is enough.

Simply stated,
divinely intricate.

Stepping across the line
from dark to light,
bound to free -
we stumble as those who
have sea legs on land.

Trust what you know -
not what you feel -
and walk on.

When ugliness rises to 
consciousness,
call it what it is,
offer it to Him
and trust that together
you can handle it.

Don't deny what you see
inside, but don't allow 
it to bind you, 
weaving among your legs
like smothering vines
to trip you up.
Forgive yourself
and others,
choose love always
and walk on.

How fragile we are,
yet we only grow stronger
by consistent awareness
of our frailty.
Remember that He 
knows us
through and through.
He sees our subterfuge
and downright snarkiness,
our broken and stunted natures,
and yet
He loves us 
as we are.
He offers a hand
each time we stumble
if we only reach up 
and take it.
He will forgive us,
teach us
and use us
as we stick close 
to His side
and
walk on.