Promising the Kingdom of God

Jesus gave us glimpses of the Kingdom of Heaven by comparing what we do not see with what we do. By using literary devices of metaphor and simile, Jesus gave us poetry, which, in any form, can help us to remember what’s said.

In today’s Gospel readings, two tiny parables quickly slid into syllabic verse that’s technically not the traditional haiku from ancient Asia. Nevertheless, these English versions seemed to want that pattern of 5/ 7/ 5 syllables, respectively, on each line.

And Jesus said:

To what shall I compare the Kingdom of God?

Look at it like this:

Sow faith as small as
a mustard seed, and branches
will grow into nests.

And again, He asked:

How shall I show you the Kingdom of God?

Stir a bit of yeast
with many pounds of flour –
Wait! Much bread will rise.


©2013, Mary Harwell Sayler, prayer-a-phrased poems from Luke 13:18-20 in today’s Bible readings in the Gospels



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Lifting hands in prayer

Prayer-a-phrase from the first letter Paul wrote to Timothy:

First of all I urge you
to plea, pray, intercede,
and give thanks for everyone –
including leaders in high places,
so we can lead
quiet, peaceful lives
of godliness and holiness.

Isn’t this a good thing to do?

Yes, and it pleases God our Savior,
Who desires for everyone to be saved –
for everyone to come to know the truth –
the truth of the one God and the one
mediator between God and mankind,

Christ Jesus, Who, as a man,
gave Himself as the one ransom
Who pays for all people

To this I attest.
For this God blessed
and appointed me to be
a messenger, a proclaimer
of God’s good news,
a verifier of truth –
and that’s no lie!

So I teach this faith and truth,
hoping to reach all,
desiring that everywhere everyone
will pray, lifting holy hands
that hold nothing back – hands
lacking anger or argument –
clean hands – smudge-proof –
holding no grudge.

© 2013, Mary Harwell Sayler, prayer-a-phrase of 1Timothy 2:1-8 from today’s Daily Bible Readings in the Epistles

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Jesus saves us

I am grateful
to Christ Jesus our Lord
for He strengthened me.

He judged me
faithful.

He appointed me
to serve
even though I was not worthy.

But I received mercy
for God knows
I acted in ignorance
and unbelief
until the grace of our Lord
flowed over me
with faith and love
in Christ Jesus.

And so I am sure
of this saying
a worthy saying to behold
and fully accept
as full truth:

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners


Amen!

Prayer: Lord God, we praise You for Your forgiving love and salvation. Help us to be sensitive to Your gentle nudge whenever we err. Help us to seek, find, and remain open to Your help, Your power, and Your love for us in Jesus’ Name.

© 2013, Mary Harwell Sayler, poem prayer-a-phrase of I Timothy 1:12-15 from today’s Daily Bible Readings in the Epistles

Having a word with Judah

Having A Word With Judah
by Mary Harwell Sayler

Someone must have told you stories of your great-
grandfather, Abram, and your great-grandmother,
Sarai – how they had domestic troubles, struggling
to amend the word they’d heard. Surely someone
called them foolish to be so old and childless yet
still plotting, childlike, toward their promised life.

Someone must have said how Isaac, born of long-
held laughter, later wed Rebekah, your grand-
mother, who best-loved her darling Jacob
(the younger twin) and thought him wise.

Someone may have talked in circles of your family’s
love-triangle: how first your father, Jacob, loved
his second wife – the lovely Rachel – more than
he loved your mother, Leah, and how he felt betrayed
by Laban, your grandfather on the other side.

Did you have a clue?

What did you think of the ongoing quarrels, mystifying
motivations, and dramatic scenes between the women
and the men? Were you caught up in the middle, like
that ram caught in the thicket that saved your grandpa,
Isaac, from Abraham’s fearsome hand?

Did it bother you when your family clan altered story
settings, characters, and titles like, “Jacobson” to “sons
of Israel” or “Child of Abram” to “The (more generic)
Chosen” or “True Sons of Abraham”?

How did you like knowing you never would be favored
with your father’s pride in Joseph: your half-brother
and first cousin (antagonist! talebearer!) of you six sons
of Leah – strong, abiding sons of Leah – who contrived
that gory story pouring from your Aunt Rachel’s side?


© 2013, Mary Harwell Sayler, all rights reserved. The poem originally appeared on the Catholic Lane website in 2011.

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Praying for the Body of Christ

When I heard of your faith
in Jesus the LORD
and your love for one another
in the family of God,
I just had to thank God for you
constantly in my prayers.

I pray for you all the time,
asking God,
the glorious Father
of our LORD Jesus Christ,
to give you the spirit of wisdom
and the discernment to know Him.

Then the eyes of your heart
will open to the light
of knowing
the hope to which God has called you,
the riches of all the LORD has given
to you, His children.

I pray, too, for you to know
the power of God’s greatness
at work in those who believe.

This is the same power God
put to work in Christ when He arose
from the dead and rose to the realm
of heavenly places far above
every ruler,
every authority,
every power,
every kingdom, and
every name you can name,
not only now
but in all times to come.

For God has put all things
under the feet of Christ
and given Him the full authority and power of God
and made Him the head of all things in the church –

the full church Body of Christ,
which is being filled with Christ
and completed in Christ,
Who will fully fill all in All.

©2013, Mary Harwell Sayler, prayer-a-phrase of today's Daily Bible Reading in the NT Epistle, Ephesians 1:15-23

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Consider the lilies

And Jesus said:

Don’t fret over your life!
Don’t be anxious for what you’ll eat.
Don’t worry about what you’ll wear.
Your life carries more than food,
and your body wears more than clothing.

Think about the ravens:
They neither plant seeds nor harvest,
and they have neither barns nor warehouses,
but your Father tends them.

Aren’t you a bigger treasure than birds?

Worry cannot add one inch
or ounce or hour to your life!
So if you can’t make yourself grow
even a tiny bit,
why worry about the rest?

Consider the lilies.
See how they grow?
They do not work or weave,
but I tell you that even the glorious
King Solomon had no finer attire.

So, if God dresses up field grass
with the finest wildflowers that wilt
and dry up as if in a fire,
just think how much more
God desires to take care of you
and your little faith!

So, don’t keep straining
and stressing over food and water,
and don’t keep worrying.

All over the world people
work for more things,
and your Father knows your needs,
but instead of the world’s way
that doesn’t work well, I suggest
you try this:

Work toward the Kingdom of God
with God-speed,
and you will surely be given
whatever you need.

©2013, Mary Harwell Sayler, prayer-a-phrase of Luke 12:22-31, today’s Daily Bible Reading in the Gospels

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Jesus tells us to ask, seek, find

Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when He had finished, one of His closest followers asked Him to teach them to pray as John the Baptist had taught His followers. And Jesus answered by saying, When you’re praying, say:

Father, keep Your name holy in us.
Into us, let Your kingdom come.

Each day give us what we can hold,
but let go of our sins as we console
others beholden to us, and oh,
do not give us too trying a time!

For a moment, Jesus paused then said to look at it like this.

Suppose you go to your friend at the very last hour to ask
for bread for an unexpected visitor who suddenly came
and caught you empty-handed. Feeling ashamed to have
nothing to give, you ask your friend to assist, but he resists
your request saying, “Go away, please! I have locked my door.
My kids are in bed, and if I get up, I’ll wake them for sure.”
I tell you, even though your friend won’t get out of bed to help
you as his friend, he will surely help you if you persist.

So what I’m saying is this:

Keep on asking,
and it will be given.
Keep on searching,
and you will find.
Keep on knocking,
and the door will open.

Believe
in the asking,
and you will
receive.

Think about it!
If your children ask you for fish,
would you wish on them snakes?
Or if your children ask for eggs,
would you give them the eggs of a spider?

You’re definitely not perfect, and yet you know
what’s good for your kids, so
don’t you think God knows
what good gifts to give?

Yes! And, oh, how much more will
our Father in Heaven
give the Holy Spirit to you who still
ask!

©2013, Mary Harwell Sayler, prayer-a-phrase of Luke 11:1-13 from today’s Daily Bible Readings in the Gospels

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Remembering the promise

Moses called all the people together and said:

Take care to obey
everything I tell you today,
so you can live and multiply then
go in and gain the land the LORD swore
to give your ancestors.

Remember how God led you
through desolate places
for forty years?

He did this to humble and test you
to see what your heart held
and whether you could keep
His commandments.

God humbled you with hunger
then fed you with manna –
a food neither you
nor your ancestors had,
so this you would know:

You do not live by bread alone
but by every word that comes
from the mouth of God.

For forty years your clothes
did not wear out nor your feet swell,
so you would know well
that the LORD your God
disciplines you as a parent
disciplines a beloved child.

And now, you must keep the commandments
of the LORD your God,
walking in the ways He lays out for you – even
dreading to do anything else!

For the LORD your God
is bringing you into a good land –
a land of fresh water springing forth from hills and valleys,
a land of wheat and barley,
a land of grapevines and fig trees and pomegranates,
a land pouring out fine olive oil and pure honey,
a land with no lack of food, nor lack of anything,
a land with iron as common as stones
and hills where you can dig copper.

And when you have all that you want
of the good that God gives,
remember this word from the LORD:
Remember to bless your God.

©2013, Mary Harwell Sayler, prayer-a-phrase of Deuteronomy 8:1-10 from today’s Daily Bible Reading

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Praying for God to get speedy

O God! Please hurry!
O LORD, please hurry to my help.

People make so many demands
on me and my time,
they ought to be ashamed!

If they intend to bring me any hurt, let
their words become mumble-jumble.

Let them stop such behavior!
Let them stop saying “Ah” and Aha!”
or else be disgraced and ashamed
of their own words.

As for those who seek You and know
their need for You, LORD,
let them rejoice in You and be glad.
Let them say, again and again,
“How great is our God!”

But, as for me, O God, I’m feeling
pitiful and needy today,
so I speedily need Your help.

You are The One I count on
to release me from all harm,
so please hurry! Please!
O God, don’t linger too long.

©2013, Mary Harwell Sayler, prayer-a-phrased poem of Psalm 70 from today’s Daily Bible Reading

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Waiting for God

This prayer-a-phrased poem from today's Daily Bible Reading in the Psalms gives a glimpse of the Psalmist's prayer stance as he awaited a response from God:

Psalm 62:1-2

For God alone
in silence waits
my soul.
From Him alone
in strength waits
my salvation.
My Rock! My Fortress!
I shall not be moved.
In God alone
my soul shall not be shaken.

© 1998, Mary Harwell Sayler, all rights reserved. The poem first appeared in 1998 in UpSouth and the Saints Alive chapbook then the Letters to a Priest anthology in 2010.


©2013, Mary Sayler

Chatting with Paul about the church

Me: Paul, recently I heard you say there’s only one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all, and yet we children of God don’t always act like that’s true. How can this change? What do we do?

The Apostle Paul: Each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ's gift.

Me: Yes, we’re different and have different ways of doing things, but sometimes that seems to make misunderstandings and ill feelings get in our way.

Paul: That’s why the Bible says Jesus ascended into heaven and captured captivity.

Me: Wow! Jesus imprisoned prisons. He bound up whatever binds us. He confined whatever confines us. He….

Paul: He gave gifts to His people. So some of us are apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers.

Me: It’s wonderful how God gives each of us exactly what we need to do the work God gave us to do! Now, if we’d just respect those differences and appreciate one another more.

Paul, nodding: Each gift equips each saint for a unique work of ministry to build up the Body of Christ (the Church) so we can all be united in the faith and knowledge of the Son of God as we grow and mature into the full standing of Christ.

Me: Hmm. Sounds like God wants us to grow up! And grow into the Spirit of Christ.

Paul, nodding his head again: We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro or blown about by every wind of doctrine or by people's trickery or by craftiness and deceitful schemes.

Me: But, oh, sometimes it’s hard to know what's what! So I pray for God to help us become more discerning and loving too.

Paul: As we speak the truth in love, we grow up in every way into Christ, Who is the head of the whole body, joined and knitted together by each ligament, so each part is equipped to work properly, promote body growth, and build up the whole Church Body of Christ in love.

Me: Amen! And may God keep on reminding us to keep on praying for spiritual growth, discernment, love, and unity in the Body of Christ in Jesus’ Name.

©2013, Mary Harwell Sayler, prayer-a-phrased conversation with the Apostle Paul drawn from today’s Bible reading in Ephesians 4:7-8, 4:11-16

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Being a child of God and acting like one!

And Jesus said His followers:

Are you listening?
Love your enemies.
Do good to those who hate you.
Bless those who curse you.
Pray for those who abuse you.

If someone slaps your face,
don’t return the insult
but instead turn your cheek.
If anyone grabs your coat,
don’t hang onto your shirt.

Give to the one who begs,
and if anyone needs to borrow,
don’t bother to ask
to get your own stuff back.

Treat every person the way
you want each one to treat you.

Then, if you act like a child
of the Most High God,
your reward will be greater
than great!

Remember: God is kind
even to those ungrateful,
annoying, awful people in your path!
So show them the mercy of God.

Do not judge or condemn anyone,
for God does not judge you
nor enclose you in condemnation.

Forgive and remember:
You are forgiven.

Give and remember:
You will receive
a good measure –
pressed down, packed tight
and running over and over all
you can hold before spilling
God’s goodness
onto your lap!

©2013, Mary Harwell Sayler, prayer-a-phrased Bible promises from today’s Daily Bible Reading in Luke 6:27-30 and 35-38.

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