Replies

Meditation on Luke 6: 27-36

Breaking the Chains

Black as the night, and blacker than dark
Are the ways of sin that burn through the world,
Hatred and Greed and Pride's banner unfurled,
Coursing so redly like Cain's throbbing mark.

O Lord you have shown me, shown all who would see
What the wages of sin are across the land,
Wages that hunger and ever command
Payment in blood and death and grief and misery.

Each harsh word, each blow, each theft in the night,
Bombs blowing up in unwary market places,
Each lording over another, injustice that races
To breed new darkness and hate to smother the light --

These are creatures of the pit, the dragon's delight,
Brought forth in abundance since Mother Eve's choosing,
Binding us in chains of dark bitter accusing --
Satan wanting to show God we are not worth his sight.

And yet God still loves us, the work of his hands,
And showed us the way to break those dark chains
Long ago it seems now, but his touch still remains
To deliver the hearts of those caught in dark lands.

"Love those who hate you, " his soft words proclaim,
A message that seems overwhelming to do,
Breaking the hate chains of darkness anew
By refusing to pass on by action the same.

By action and prayer and love do not stain
Your soul with the evil passed down from the fall,
This is his answer, this is his call
To those of us who would break dark night's chain.

So hard to do, this call now to love,
So hard for us sin-sick, made out of mud
So hard that he gave his own bright heart's blood
To give us the strength from heaven above

To change the world and let in the light,
Showing there's hope in the sorrow of life,
Showing a way out of sin and of strife,
Showing a way out of the endless night

If we answer the call.

prayer:

Lord, you ask the hardest things sometimes,
to love those who hate us,
to act kindly towards those who wish to harm us,
to bless those who wish us dead.

O Lord, give me the strength
to break the chains of hate
that tie us to sin's blackness,
weighing us down with anger,
and pain,
retaliation,
shame,
breeding darkness from darkness,
grief from grief..

When I see the depths of anger and hate that surrounds us,
I recoil in fear and disgust and disbelief,
for such a thing comes not from above,
no matter how much they do it in the name of God,
or Peace,
or Right,
or Self-determination.
Such things come only from the pit.

Teach me how to be an instrument of your peace
In an era fraught with danger, hate and night.
Touch my hands that they may act in peace
your way, for your reasons.
Touch my lips, that they may say words of blessing
the way you would have it be,
even to those who would harm me.
Touch my heart
That I may learn how to act lovingly
Even when my mind screams out for blood,
Help me to do this because you asked it,
Help me to do this through your help,
Help me to do this for your glory,
This day, and always,
Amen.