An instrument is useful only if it"s in the right shape. A dull ax or a bent screwdriver needs attention, and so do we. A good blacksmith keeps his tools in shape. So does God. Should God place you on his anvil, be thankful. It means he thinks you"re still worth reshaping.
- Max Lucado, from On the Anvil (1983)
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Prayers of Steel by Carl Sandburg 1918
LAY me on an anvil, O God.
Beat me and hammer me into a crowbar.
Let me pry loose old walls.
Let me lift and loosen old foundations.
Lay me on an anvil, O God.
Beat me and hammer me into a steel spike.
Drive me into the girders that hold a skyscraper together.
Take red-hot rivets and fasten me into the central girders.
Let me be the great nail holding a skyscraper through blue nights into white stars.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Monday, August 11, 2008
Set Apart
In the liturgical churches, we think about the bread and wine that is blessed and sanctified as bringing God's grace into our beings, but in the process of watching the Liturgy of the Table, I see other truths as well.
My daughter, Rachel, loves serving at the altar at church. I watch her as she approaches her service, whether as an acolyte/torchbearer, or as crucifer helping the deacon set the table for communion. She is so attentive to her tasks and duly reverent and respectful. Those items, utensils, and vessels, have been blessed, prayed over, and set aside for a holy task. In church language, they have been sanctified - or set apart for a holy purpose. They may not be perfect, but they are treated with care and respect because they are set aside for use in God's work. We don't think they contain any magical powers, but they are not to be treated lightly. She is so gentle with the items as she sets them into place or presents them to the person using them.
As I was watching her, I thought how we should be treating each other with the even more gentleness and respect than we approach sacred objects.
As God's children, we are also set aside for God's purposes. But how often do we treat each other in ways that are less than respectful? Should I not care as gently for you and treat you as tenderly as the women who tend so carefully to the altar linens and flowers? How much more precious are we to Him than the objects in His House?
Whether or not a person is living into God's purpose for him does not diminish the fact that each of God's children has been appointed for a holy purpose.
Our Baptismal vows include "will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself". That seeking and serving is part of what we do because we recognize that we have been set aside to do the work of the Savior. Too often, we behave as if we are the ones who should be served. It is too easy to become puffed up with our own sanctificaton and forget that we are not set apart for our own sake, but for the purpose of bridging the gap in order to bring Christ's love to our suffering world.
Lord, help me to treat others as holy vessels, and to behave as one with a holy purpose.
anything but typical
Take My Life, and Let It Be
by Frances Havergal 1874
Take my life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days; let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands, and let them move at the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet, and let them be swift and beautiful for Thee.
Take my voice, and let me sing always, only, for my King.
Take my lips, and let them be filled with messages from Thee.
Take my silver and my gold; not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect, and use every power as Thou shalt choose.
Take my will, and make it Thine; it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is Thine own; it shall be Thy royal throne.
Take my love, my Lord, I pour at Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, and I will be ever, only, all for Thee.
My daughter, Rachel, loves serving at the altar at church. I watch her as she approaches her service, whether as an acolyte/torchbearer, or as crucifer helping the deacon set the table for communion. She is so attentive to her tasks and duly reverent and respectful. Those items, utensils, and vessels, have been blessed, prayed over, and set aside for a holy task. In church language, they have been sanctified - or set apart for a holy purpose. They may not be perfect, but they are treated with care and respect because they are set aside for use in God's work. We don't think they contain any magical powers, but they are not to be treated lightly. She is so gentle with the items as she sets them into place or presents them to the person using them.
As I was watching her, I thought how we should be treating each other with the even more gentleness and respect than we approach sacred objects.
As God's children, we are also set aside for God's purposes. But how often do we treat each other in ways that are less than respectful? Should I not care as gently for you and treat you as tenderly as the women who tend so carefully to the altar linens and flowers? How much more precious are we to Him than the objects in His House?
Whether or not a person is living into God's purpose for him does not diminish the fact that each of God's children has been appointed for a holy purpose.
Our Baptismal vows include "will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself". That seeking and serving is part of what we do because we recognize that we have been set aside to do the work of the Savior. Too often, we behave as if we are the ones who should be served. It is too easy to become puffed up with our own sanctificaton and forget that we are not set apart for our own sake, but for the purpose of bridging the gap in order to bring Christ's love to our suffering world.
Lord, help me to treat others as holy vessels, and to behave as one with a holy purpose.
anything but typical
Take My Life, and Let It Be
by Frances Havergal 1874
Take my life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days; let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands, and let them move at the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet, and let them be swift and beautiful for Thee.
Take my voice, and let me sing always, only, for my King.
Take my lips, and let them be filled with messages from Thee.
Take my silver and my gold; not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect, and use every power as Thou shalt choose.
Take my will, and make it Thine; it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is Thine own; it shall be Thy royal throne.
Take my love, my Lord, I pour at Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, and I will be ever, only, all for Thee.
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