On Word, Law and Life

Posted on January 3, 2012 by Tom Bolton

These verses are the beginning of a longer work in development, on living in Scripture.

On Word, Law and Life

A. Along the Way

Aware, aware, finally aware that the righteous are blessed, those who stay close to the Lord, steeped in the Word, blessed are they.
Alive, alive, we are finally alive as we, wide-eyed disciples, search out our master, search deep into the living–that Word from the beginning.
Aware of the way,
they follow His way,
Active, acting, aware and acting on precepts proscribed and written, carefully acting and awesome aware.
Alleluia and Amen! Obedient, praying, discerning, firming–finding the way,
A student, I study, searching the Word,
Today in Law, in the Word.
Abandoned, yes, once abandoned, no more
Alone, I listen, I obey, I try to obey.
Alive, I too live; alive, I give thanks;
in my spirit, alive; keep me right, o Lord.

B. Blessed in the Way

Born pure, we young struggle and rot, seeking pristine purity, blessed in the Way, this Word.
Breathing in this book, this blessed, blessed Word,
I try, try, try to stay on the narrow path, teetering, tending my weak joints, buckling.
Braving this world, my heart beating, awash in Your Word,
Let me be right and pure today, blessed.
Blessed be your name, O Lord, I thank you, blessed to learn the law that I resist. Yes, I resist.
Beating your Word across my tongue, across my mouth,
Blessed to remember, to repeat, to recall.
Joy in the Word, Blessed!
Joy in the Word.
Beguiled in the reflection of your Word, blessed by your Way.
Bejeweled in your journal, your Word close at hand. Blessed Amen!

C. Commanded, Living Free

Commanded to live, keep me free, alive, awash in Your Word, cleansed in Your Word,
Cleansed, clinging to Commandments, relationships freed, miracles clearly seen.
Clinging, clawing my way through this strange New World, keep me, hold me in Your Word.
My soul clamors, longing for Your Word, even when I jerk to deny, clamoring for Your Word.
Condemned, firm in the center, encircled in me, we, greedy ones, circle around, condemned, away from Your Word.
Aware, and back, and in Your Command,
Contempt burns me, and faltering I come back.
Contempt around me, I seize the Word,
alive and aware, alive in Your Word.
Clearly these Words guide me, alive, with joy,
At peace, mes amis, alive in Your Word. Amen.
Condemned, away from the Word, was Esau hated, or away–simply away–away from the Word?

–12/20/2011 Meditations on Psalm 119.

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Are there More Homeless Irish Than When I Was Blind?

Posted on January 1, 2012 by Tom Bolton

Truly I heard the gentle brogue tonight,
a soft, genteel, lilt in his voice.
He could sell snow to eskimos, would sell, and
yet I heard the uncertainty there, the
yearning for his mother’s word-caress.

So alone, he wanted to be loved.
Long ago, as I saw the homeless, there
were no Irish there, and I crossed the
street away.
Somehow I didn’t see Irish there,
but my eyes were welded, and I saw
What I would see.

How many Germans walk in here,
my eyes worn, patched now, but acute?
On the southside of Milwaukee, Germans
camp, and come in from the cold, heads high still,
these blond, grey gods, not wanting to be seen here.
Are there more homeless Germans than when
I was blind?

I saw so clearly when I was blind.
The weld on my eyes kept out the light polution
and I saw what I would see.
So I came into the Light and
saw what I could see, whe I came in,
and saw the sights not so sharp as what
I saw when I was blind.

12-31-11

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A Divine Intervention, Near New Year’s Eve

Posted on December 31, 2011 by Tom Bolton

So close, so close, these women and men, 
close to me in this tiny lounge in this huge,
huge Church building, this small, fragile church
people, these powerful people of God.

So close I have been times in the past, but
blessed, blessed to move on, move in, blessed
in this world, blessed to listen and live in
this fragile, small community of light.

So close, so close, these women and men,
so close they came to this communal,
fettered life–how many times?–before they
came to this life, free and yet fettered.

Walking with the poor, the free and yet fettered,
free and enslaved, owned and controlled,
alive and yet distant, we are so close
in this warm, warm lounge, Crosby and
Hope crossing eons and with us too.

So close the Word was with me today, now
on the table in front of me, all night
in people around me, God’s guests,
God’s folk, so close beside me, around me.

So close, I hear their quiet conversations,
so close, I hear their pleas for families,
abandoned, dependent, alive and apart.

So close, I hear anger flair so
rarely, but so near to the surface, so close,
so tight, so sore and still calloused, so
lonely even as so close.

In the night-time deep, so close to sleep,
mother was near, quiet and warm, and
I wondered if I was asleep. Sleep was silent,
but it was two ay-em.

So near to sleep, but I arose, unable to
sleep, to wander the halls a while and
hear the breathing so close.

So close, so close, these women and men,
close to me in the blessed wing of this huge,
huge church building. We are so close here.

And now, O glorious and blessed God,
you are mine, and I am yours. So be it!

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No Worries Today

Posted on December 22, 2011 by Tom Bolton

This is a poem I wrote in January 2011, as I was remembering some of my political roots, and contemplating some writings by John Wesley. I had not yet studied Seeing Gray in a World of Black and White, by Rev. Adam Hamilton. But that book and the study I led for the book in the summer was certainly connected in some way to my contemplation in January.

No Worries Today

I am grown,
I have listened, I have faced terrors with calm
and boldness.

And yet I fear this day.
I fear that I may offend,
or make some see me as ‘Less Than,’
or worse, see them or others as
Less-Than.

When I speak on this, am
I partisan?
Or political, or selfish or
in community?

I remember words of Hubert at a
Dining table in Louisville.
He never ate,
But regaled us with stories
of compromise and movement
and progress.
Even in defeat, he seemed to love
both sides of the aisle.
He loved us that day.
His eyes shone–
No force, no retreat,
But looking to the future,
our future.
Progress would come in this
Civil discourse,
this post-schism place.
And I remember Timmy,
seeking the decisions for
the People–
Pumping the hands,
Hugging the shoulders,
Smiling the bright ruddy smiles,
Battling the cause by day,
and seeing the people as human–frail and good,
failing and succeeding–
on both sides of the chambers at night.

And as I seek what is right,
As I fear whom I might offend
or whom I might pierce and
push away,
I remember John speaking to God:
You are mine and I am
Yours.
So Be It!
Let me be employed for you
or
Laid aside for you.
And may we be together.
Set aside my fears this day!

I was uncomfortable as I copied this poem into the blog today, because I played around with Wesley’s Covenant Prayer–a prayer that has changed my life as I say it daily. Ultimately, I decided to keep this poem as I wrote it originally. Perhaps even Wesley altered his prayer sometimes.

Hubert is Hubert Humphrey, who I met at a convention in 1973. I was lucky to be seated randomly at the same luncheon table with him. But Hubert never ate anything that day. He talked about history non-stop. I was struck then by the fact that he loved politicians on both sides of the aisle, despite his marvelous passion. His love and tolerance still impress me–maybe more so today.

“Timmy” was my mentor in politics, and he too worked with both sides of the aisle. He respects people–as people–and that is important now, as it was then.

It is sometimes hard for me to set aside my passions to respect both sides of an issue.  But I have found moments where that civility has helped to solve an issue, and to help people.

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A beautiful Christmas Carol by Dan Dick

Posted on December 21, 2011 by Tom Bolton

http://doroteos2.wordpress.com/2011/12/19/the-story-of-yuletide-carol/

Dan Dick has written much about Christmas this month. Some has really challenged us.  It often has connected with what I have been thinking.  This week, he has written a very personal story that is very moving. This is a really worthwhile read, which I have been recommending to all my friends.  I’m so thankful for Dan Dick’s writing!

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Longest Night 2010

Posted on December 20, 2011 by Tom Bolton

Longest Night Service
From Tuesday- December 21, 2010

First United Methodist Church of West Allis 

One of the first services I helped design after being certified as a Lay Servant in the United Methodist Church was the Longest Night Service at First Church in 2010. As it turned out, I had pneumonia and was unable to be there, but the experience was a focus to my discipleship in 2010 and throughout 2011.

Call to Worship: Isaiah 26: 1b-6

We have a strong city, Salvation City, built and fortified with salvation.
Throw wide the gates so good and true people can enter.
People with their minds set on you, you keep completely whole,
steady on their feet, because they keep at it and don’t quit.
Depend on God and keep at it because in the Lord God you have a sure thing.
Those who lived high and mighty he knocked off their high horse.
He used the city built on the hill as fill for the marshes.
All the exploited and outcast peoples build their lives on the reclaimed land. (The Message)

Opening Prayer:
With responses from Isaiah 40:31 and 1 Thessalonians 5:16

One: Sometimes we are so depressed we think we may need
psychiatric intervention.
All: Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They
will soar on wings like eagles.
One: But sometimes we see only black and blue thoughts. The deeper
we get into the holiday season, the sadder we get.
All: Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They
will soar on wings like eagles.
One: Even when we are called to live a life of joy, sometimes we see
circumstances that are dark and gloomy.
All: Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They
will soar on wings like eagles.
One: Sometimes we feel so alone.
All: Rejoice always!
One: Sometimes we feel our health failing and our bodies growing old,
and we feel we have nothing anymore!
All: Rejoice always!
One: Sometimes we are so deep in grief, grief is all we see. We are so
tired of pretending to be joyful! We feel like we have to pretend
to be Christmas-y!
All: Rejoice always!
One: Sometimes we know we will get over this hump, but we need the
prayers of many others. We need the gentle hugs and the
attentive ears of our brothers and sisters.
All: Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They
will soar on wings like eagles.
Lord, teach us to remember to pray for others. May we be so
bound up in love with those for whom we pray that we may
feel their needs as acutely as our own and intercede for them
with sensitivity, with understanding and with imagination.
We ask this in Christ’s name. Amen. (byJohn Calvin)

I missed the Longest Night service in 2010, but as it was occurring, I received an email request from a woman in another state, asking me to pray for a woman in California, a woman who was contemplating suicide. I quickly passed on the scripture references for the Longest Night worship, and some comments from my message for that night, to this woman in another state.  My laryngitis was so bad that night, that I could not speak to her on the phone. My breathing was so bad that I was exhausted by writing and praying my prayers. She was moved by the words (which she could read, or have read to her, even as I was speechless), and she finally contacted me from a hospital. A prayer relationship began that night, and continues to this day. I have long felt that I was where God wanted me to be on December 21, 2010. I sometimes feel sorry for myself at having missed that worship service, when I was to deliver my first official sermon as a Lay Servant. But I thank God for using me in a way that reminds me of where I am to truly be in my ministry.


Scripture Lessons:
Psalm 103: A David Psalm

O my soul, bless GOD. From head to toe, I’ll bless his holy name!
O my soul, bless GOD, don’t forget a single blessing!

He forgives your sins—every one. He heals your diseases—every one. He redeems you from hell—saves your life! He crowns you with love and mercy—a paradise crown. He wraps you in goodness—beauty eternal. He renews your youth—you’re always young in his presence.

God makes everything come out right; he puts victims back on their feet. He showed Moses how he went about his work, opened up his plans to all Israel. God is sheer mercy and grace; not easily angered, he’s rich in love. He doesn’t endlessly nag and scold, nor hold grudges forever. He doesn’t treat us as our sins deserve, nor pay us back in full for our wrongs. As high as heaven is over the earth, so strong is his love to those who fear him. And as far as sunrise is from sunset, he has separated us from our sins. As parents feel for their children, God feels for those who fear him. He knows us inside and out, keeps in mind that we’re made of mud. Men and women don’t live very long; like wildflowers they spring up and blossom, but a storm snuffs them out just as quickly, leaving nothing to show they were here. God’s love, though, is ever and always, eternally present to all who fear him, making everything right for them and their children as they follow his covenant ways and remember to do whatever he said.

God has set his throne in heaven; he rules over us all. He’s the King! So bless God, you angels, ready and able to fly at his bidding, quick to hear and do what he says. Bless God, all you armies of angels, alert to respond to whatever he wills. Bless God, all creatures, wherever you are— everything and everyone made by God. And you, O my soul, bless God! (The Message)

Jeremiah 29:11
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
(The Message)

Romans 15:13
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
(The Message)
1 Peter 1:3
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. (The Message)

Matthew 10:29-31
What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows. (New Living Translation)

Response:
One: This is the illuminating Word of God.
All: For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O LORD, from
my youth.

Hymn: “His Eye Is on the Sparrow” Hymnal Supplement
(verses 1 & 2) The Faith We Sing, No. 2146

Message: “A Revival of Hope”

Ministry Through Music:
Vocal solo

I often hear the music from this service I missed—echoing in my minds’ ear.

Lighting the Advent Candles
One: We light the candle of Hope as we await the coming of
Jesus, who is our source of hope. (first candle is lit)
All: Thank you, Lord, for the gift of hope, in our times of
emptiness and Darkness.
One: We light the candle of Peace, knowing that Jesus is the
Prince of Peace. (second candle is lit)
All: Thank you, Lord, for the gift of peace in our times of
uncertainty and fear.
One: We light the candle of Joy, knowing that our comfort and help come from God. (third candle is lit)
All: Thank you, Lord, for the gift of joy in our times of
sadness and Grief.
One: We light the candle of Love, knowing that God is love
revealed to us in Jesus Christ. (fourth candle is lit)
All: Thank you, Lord, for the gift of love in our times of
loneliness.
One: In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God.
All: The Word became flesh and lived among us, full of
grace and truth.
One: In him was life, and that life was the light of all. We know that
Jesus is our hope, our peace, our joy and the source of love.

Lighting our own Candles
All who wish, may come forward to light a candle in memory of someone, in prayer, or as a sign of hope – it is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness. During the lighting, we will sing “Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel.”

Hymn: “Oh Come, Oh Come, Emmanuel” Hymnal No. 211
(verses 1, 5, and 6)

The Christmas Story: Luke 2: 1-20

Hymn: “Silent Night” Hymnal No. 239
(verses 1 and 3)

Benediction:
One: Jesus Christ is the light of the world, the light no darkness can
overwhelm. Stay with us, Lord, for it is evening, and the day is
almost over. Let your light scatter the darkness and shine on your
people. Renew our Hope. Alleluia!
All: and Amen.

This Year, I will be at the Longest Night worship as the Liturgist.
I look forward to hugs and opportunities to smile with friends and strangers. I look forward to new echoes of O, Come, O come, Emmanuel!

“Oh Come, Oh Come, Emmanuel”

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Temptation and Word

Posted on November 24, 2011 by Tom Bolton

I wrote this meditation at a Lay Servants Teach Adults class at Salem United Methodist Lake Michigan at South Shore MilwaukeeChurch on January 27, 2010. I was leading a study on Luke 4:1-13 as my teaching assignment. I included an exercise for 14 adults, most over 45 years old, to write an impromptu poem inspired by the text. After some initial protests, all of them participated with enthusiasm. For many of us, the small published book of the poetry created that night is a cherished possession.

Temptation and Word

Lumbering and lazing along Lake Michigan,
Alone on an early morning path I’ve walked
Many days alone and many days in community,
Today alone,
My morning podcasts wind and wire ’round me,
Up to my ears–then tunneling toward mind and soul.
Money Matters, composers of the day, and
Deuteronomy on audio, Global Economics and
High Tech and political gabbing.

I listen to Deuteronomy,
Then pause the audio,
Lunging, leaping some, lifting my walk intensity.

I pause to pray and listen before Luke.
I lift my pace and lift my eyes,
Not a desert here but lonely lake this morning, as the
Sun shines embers over the lake,
Lonely, glistening, living Son.

My thoughts shift,
Dreams of money,
Lusts, power-craving.
Ego? Is it lonely, lack-of-confidence?
All-About-Me?
Can I respond with Your Word?
What did I miss in Deuteronomy today? I drifted.
Was it there for me, and I missed it?

That Me-First-Feeling again: How can I reply?
I laze again, lessen my pace,
Listen.
You grant the Wisdom of Your Word
When I stop,
When I listen,
When I love Your Word.

—-Tom Bolton, Salem, WI, January 27, 2010

I published a little book in 2010 with the products of that exercise. I would love to share the other poems, because they turned out so well! The poems were all composed in a ten minute exercise as part of a study of Luke 4:1-13 during a practicum session in the the third week of Lay Leaders Teach Adults on that snowy, cold January Wednesday. There was much grumbling and many fearful looks as I explained the assignment. But everyone finished–even the older man, a car mechanic, who explained he had NEVER written a poem. Each was excited to share his or her poem and each was anxious to have me add it to the book. Beautiful!

We use a different part of our brains, and engage our spirits, when we contemplate Scriture with poetry. The words flow and the thoughts gel in a whole new way. I love it.

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