Across the waters,
the restless breath blew.
And God began to create.
Beneath the stars,
the earth was filled with quakes & tornadoes, virus & famine, and sunshine & storms.
And the people struggled to survive.
God loved the ones,
created from the dust
and God’s own breath.
And the people strived to be faithful.
Through the centuries,
God journeyed with humanity.
And our forebears failed,
to live up to God’s hopes.
Forgive us, our forebears cried.
We have failed even now.
Forgive us, we beseech you, God.
Guide us as we strive to live as you would have us live.
And one arrived who inhaled the breath of God,
Jesus breathes out God’s ways of grace and love.
Through Jesus, we can see the way.
Through Jesus a new earth begins to unfold.
Jesus tells us that the violence, the wars and hatred, pandemics and pestilence, the collapsing institutions, and the rapid change are but birth pangs of a new way.
The birth pangs are signs that love will win.
Love always wins.
God’s love always overcomes.
Praise be to God whose love unfolds even in our time.
Praise be to God whose love is even now being born in our world. Amen.
Tim strives to share God’s extravagant love for all–no matter what & without strings. Seeking to follow the lure of the Spirit, Tim writes about what it means to be a follower of Jesus in an era where Christianity has come to be associated with hatred and political wedge issues. “Heinous things have been said & done (& still are) in the name of the One who breathed in the Divine,” notes Tim, “but Jesus shows us that God loves extravagantly.” Following the teachings and life of Jesus is about inclusion not exclusion. It is about compassion, grace, and admitting no one has all the answers. It is about responding lovingly to the best of our human ability. It is about people not institutions. It is about social justice. It is about caring for creation. It is about being who we were each created to be. Tim is a former early childhood educator, a runner, a hiker, a devoted husband, father of two adult children and their spouses, and a grandfather of four perfect grandchildren. Tim serves as Lead Pastor of the First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Albany, Oregon. He writes from home, from the coffee shop, and wherever the trail leads him.
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