Every Friday, she pulls one out of the hat.
A word or a short phrase.
And we're supposed to set the timer
and free-write in response to that prompt.
Lisa-Jo Baker is dang good at this prompting business
and a couple of hundred people join in the party
each and every week.
I'm late this week . . . but I'm here, for the first time in several.
Hop on over to her website and check out a few:
Idou -
a tiny Greek part of speech
that imitates an earlier Hebraic one.
A small word that modern translations
don't even bother with,
but oh! SUCH a good word.
It means . . . LOOK AT THIS!
And it's usually translated, "Behold!"
Think about all the places in scripture
where you've seen that word!
"the handmaiden of the Lord,"
and "I tell you a mystery"
are the first two that spring to my mind
in these five minutes.
The Incarnation
and the Resurrection,
bookends, in a way,
of our faith,
of our story.
And what a beautiful,
mysterious,
glorious story it is.
And you know what?
I think there are evidences of these 'beholds'
all around us, every dang day.
We are invited to be the incarnate Word
in the lives of our families,
in the neighborhoods in which we live.
We are encouraged to be Easter People,
shining forth hope
of better things ahead.
And if we stop,
if we slow,
if we open our eyes,
and loose our ears,
and tune our minds --
we can not only look,
but SEE.
The Glory of the Lord
is present in our world,
and in every one of us.
Imagine!
Look!
Behold!
Idou!
STOP
A lone young woman, journal in hand, sitting on the wide sand, looking. Looking.
Off in the distance, a cruise ship -
. . . a reminder that sometimes we might feel invaded
by uninvited tourists making demands
upon our time, energy and resources.
But.
Every person on a cruise ship is also made in the image of God, whether they know and acknowledge that or not.
So maybe I need -- in general -- to be more welcoming,
and gracious to those who feel to me like. . . interlopers?
And sometimes those might even be members of
my own family?
A wide stretch of sand
on a beautiful sunny day.
Behold! The goodness of God.
Friends, neighbors and strangers --
out for a walk, just like I am.
Can I be a grace-filled, smiling co-conspirator
in the joys of life?
And that water, lapping on the sand?
Pure refreshment,
reminder of all things good and lovely.
So, hop on board,
set your sail into the wind,
and see where Ruach* takes you next
But never forget that sometimes
the very best adventures of all
happen under a striped umbrella,
alone on a wide beach,
reveling in the beauty around you.
LOOK!
*Ruach is a biblical word for 'wind' or 'spirit.'
I use it here for Spirit, Holy Spirit, God's Spirit.
