Tag Archives: courage

Let the birds sing

24 Wednesday Mar 2021

Posted by in grief, Reflections

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Let the birds sing
in early morning light

Let breezes sweetly whisper
through the trees at midday

Let clouds drift lazily
across a buoyant spring sky

Let the sun’s brilliance
gild rugged hillsides nearby

And let it all remind me
that this day is holy

Let friends call
and listen tenderly to my pain

Let strangers offer
a kind word or gesture

Let hours pass
and leave no trace of regret

Let this day unfold
with a gentleness born of grace

And let it all remind me
that this day is holy

There is no denying
this world looks different to me now
my future blurred by uncertainty
love’s healing work barely begun
and the cruel finality of death
no longer merely an idea

But let the birds sing in the morning
let friends be present by my side
let moments of contentment quietly come
let memories wash over me like a balm
let joy one day follow these days of mourning
let healing imperceptibly take root and grow

And let it all remind me
if I have the courage to see it
that this day indeed is holy

~ Mark Lloyd Richardson

Renewed in the Waters of Grace

14 Thursday Jan 2016

Posted by in Justice, LGBTQ, Reflections

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splash

A scripture text from Baptism of the Lord Sunday still rings in my ears. To a people living in exile, the prophet Isaiah speaks of courage to believe that God is still up to something. “Do not fear,” comes the word of the Lord, “for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.”

We hear these words as we remember and renew our baptisms. We come to the baptismal font knowing that God is actively involved in redeeming our lives and this world. Fear loses its threatening grip in the shadow of such immense promises. If the Lord of Creation claims us and calls us to live in the freedom of such promises, who are we to let fear get in the way?

The Israelite exiles were on the edge of extinction when they heard the words, “Do not fear.” They were scattered and despairing of their future when the prophet reminded them of God’s covenant with them. They were “a tiny, miserable, and insignificant band of uprooted men and women,” according to Old Testament scholar Claus Westermann, when the prophet declared their new and different identity as a people supremely valued by God. “You are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you,” God says to Israel in spite of their shortcomings.

The waters of baptism lead us to new life – a life surrendered to the God who knits us together in our mothers’ wombs, a life of belonging to the community of the redeemed, a life of learning at the feet of the Rabbi from Nazareth what it means to be fully human and how it feels to be whole. “When you pass through the waters,” the Lord says, “I will be with you.”

The Rev. Dr. Israel (Izzy) Alvaran, Western Jurisdiction Organizer for Reconciling Ministries Network, was our guest preacher this past November. His message was in essence his testimony. Here is a young man who felt called of God at an early age to become a pastor. However, he was also aware of the church’s ban on openly gay people being ordained. He had a dilemma – how to respond to the call of God knowing that the church would not welcome someone like him in leadership if his sexual orientation were made known.

Years later as he stepped into his first pulpit to preach, it was in the very church where he had been brought by his father to be baptized as an infant. It occurred to him in that moment that baptism is a means of grace in which God blesses us with the name “son” or “daughter,” in which God calls us “beloved.” The church and its clergy may administer the sacrament of baptism, but God is the One who calls us by name and claims us as God’s own! No one can take that holy identity from us. No one can remove the sign of God’s grace that rests upon us.

When Izzy came out to his parents recently he felt their unconditional acceptance. He reported, “I am overcome with grace to know they love me.” What the church will do with LGBT people who simply wish to serve God freely with their gifts remains an open question. However, the walls of fear are crumbling. Baptism does that. Embracing our identity as sons and daughters of God does that. Trusting in the God who sides with the oppressed and the marginalized does that.

We are to live as a people named and loved by God. The delight that God takes in you and me is akin to the delight I’ve seen in the eyes of grandparents as they interact with their grandchildren. For that reason, God’s voice through the prophet still rings in my ears, as God gathers together the whole human family at the water’s edge and says, “Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made,” come my beloved, receive grace, trust grace, be renewed in the waters of grace, preach grace, practice grace, live grace, breathe grace!

Words (c) 2016 Mark Lloyd Richardson

To Build the Beloved Community

17 Thursday Jan 2013

Posted by in Poems, Prayers, Reflections

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mlkpeacehands“The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. You may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth. You may murder the hater, but you do not murder hate, nor establish love. Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
~ Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Here is a prayer poem that I wrote for the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. a few years ago for an interfaith peace and justice meeting:

Pray to whomever you kneel in awe before.
Pray to Being, to Sacred Mystery, to the Breath of Life.
Pray to Divine Love, to Ultimate Meaning, to the Author of Peace.
Pray so as to open your humanity to the humanity in others.
Pray through tears dripping with the world’s suffering.
Pray without forgetting
that we are bound together
on a path that touches all of our lives,
all of our worlds,
whether we live in Haiti or Iraq or China
or Afghanistan or Yemen or Palestine
or on the central coast of California.
On this day we thank you, Holy One, for Martin Luther King Jr.
We thank you for all who have the vision and the courage
to build the beloved community
where everyone is valued,
power is shared,
privilege is set aside,
and all creation knows your healing Presence and Peace.
In your many names we pray. Amen.

Words (c) 2013 Mark Lloyd Richardson

Your Blue Sky (or Always Offer Hope)

12 Friday Oct 2012

Posted by in Prayers, Reflections

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The first full week of October each year is Mental Illness Awareness Week. Tuesday was National Day of Prayer for Mental Illness Recovery and Understanding, a day we are asked to seek God’s guidance as we “recommit ourselves to replacing misinformation, blame, fear and prejudice with truth and love in order to offer hope to all who are touched by mental illness.”

Each of us is touched by mental illness at some time in our lives, either personally or through the struggle of someone we know. In my work as a pastor and counselor I have seen firsthand how mental illness affects individuals, families, and communities. I have witnessed emotional devastation and suffering and I have witnessed deep courage and resilience, often in the same people.

In my personal life I have known periods of severe depression, and moments when I felt all hope was lost and I was in such desperate pain that I considered ways to end my life. I am very grateful that the resources of faith, community, and treatment saw me through.

Mental illness is just that … an illness! It is diagnosable, it is treatable, and it is not a sign of weakness or failure.

A memorial in the local newspaper this past August from someone whose sister took her own life moved me deeply, so I share some excerpts here.

“This is my sister, Kim. I love this picture. This is how I want to remember her – carefree and unencumbered by life. I really miss her….

“Outwardly, she always seemed so tough, so in control and organized. But inwardly, she was fragile and emotionally destitute. It was 10 years ago that she took her own life.

“I wish she could have seen what was around the bend. I wish the love of her family had inspired her to get help. I wish she had shared the private hell she was going through so we could have been there for her.

“I wish I could have given her one more hug. I wish I could have told her I loved her one more time…. I wish I could have thanked her for the fun and joy she brought to my life. I wish….

“I am telling you all this because if you are depressed and can’t see a brighter tomorrow, please get help….

“Reach out! Reach out to your loved ones. Talk to a professional. Your depression is not something to be embarrassed about or ashamed of. It is a treatable disorder….

“My sister and I spent a week together every summer, and each summer we had a theme song. This summer I dedicate the song ‘Blue Sky,’ by Francesca Battiselli, to my sister and to you” [The Tribune, San Luis Obispo, CA, August 12, 2012].

Click here to play the song: Blue Sky

One of my colleagues, the Reverend Susan Gregg-Schroeder, has written a beautiful Pastoral Prayer for this week, a portion of which I share with you here:

“Loving Creator, we come … seeking your presence, comfort and guidance. We come as individuals living with mental illness, family members, friends, co-workers and mental health professionals.

“We come this day because we believe that you, Divine One, love each one of us just as we are. You walk with us on our individual journeys through life. You see the ignorance and injustice that divide and separate persons living with mental illness and you weep with us.

“Give us courage to face our challenges and open us today to the many ways you are already working in our midst. Help us to identify mental illness as the disease it is, that we might have courage and wisdom in the face of ignorance and stigma. Inspire us as we seek to overcome fear, acquire knowledge and advocate for compassionate and enlightened treatment and services….

“Sometimes, Divine Spirit, we feel discouraged and hopeless in the face of so many challenges. Help us to see ourselves as you see us – persons of value and worth, persons of creativity and potential.

“May we come to understand the interconnectedness of mind, body and spirit in bringing about health and wholeness. And may we go forward into our communities with a renewed sense of vision, hope and possibility for the future. Amen.”

Words (c) 2012 Mark Lloyd Richardson (except where attributed to others)