Excuse Me, God; Are You Finished?

“Psalms are answering the God who has addressed us. God’s word precedes these words. These words don’t seek God, they respond to the God who seeks us. Presumptuous prayer speaks to God without first listening.”
----- Eugene H. Peterson
“Answering God:
The Psalms as Tools of Prayer”

Okay. I think I’ve got that part down. My problem is as soon as I think I hear God’s voice, I jump in: “YEAH, BUT…”
To use Garrison Keillor’s phrase: I am the master of the “yeahbuttal.”
"Yeah, but enough about You; Listen to my problems."
Sometimes I’m not praying, I’m just waiting to interrupt!

The Peaceable Kingdom

“And the lion and the calf will lie down together,
but the calf won’t get much sleep.”

------Woody Allen

If you can start the day without caffeine;
If you can get going without pep pills;
If you can always be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains;
If you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles;
If you can eat the same food every day and be grateful for it;
If you can understand when your loved ones are too busy to give you any time;
If you can forgive a friend's lack of consideration;
If you can overlook it when those you love take it out on you when,
through no fault of your own, something goes wrong;
If you can take criticism and blame without resentment;
If you can ignore a friend's limited education and never correct him;
If you can resist treating a rich friend better than a poor friend;
If you can face the world without lies and deceit;
If you can conquer tension without medical help;
If you can relax without liquor;
If you can sleep without the aid of drugs;
If you can honestly say that deep in your heart you have no prejudice
against creed or color, religion or politics; then, my friend, you are
almost as good as your dog."

Randall Thompson: Alleluia

(Coro Universitario UNET
Rubén Rivas, conductor)
Location: Church of Santa Maria del Pi, Barcelona, ES

At the risk of oversimplification, Eugene Peterson, in his soul-opening book, "Answering God", writes that the beautiful and terrifically human language of the psalms evolve from two elemental monosyllables we all learn early on as children: "Help" and "Thanks".
The Thompson Alleluia (or rather 54 Alleluias, according to one of my basses) is one I enjoy teaching to my choirs. It is an overwhelming song of "Thanks" to the Creator.

I danced before Him on the waters of His creation

"To say that I am a child of God is to say, before everything else, that I grow. That I begin. A child who doesn't grow becomes a monster. The idea "CHILD OF GOD" is therfore one of living, growth, becoming, possibility, risk, and joy in the negotiation of risk. In this God is pleased: that his child grows in wisdom and grace."----Thomas Merton

From the "Vita Voluptua" of St. Sybian

What is to be gained by refusing the Father's gifts? "A closed hand quickly becomes a fist; an open hand reaches to caress. "

The priests will tell you they have the Father's gifts locked up in their chapels and tabernacles, and they are the ones who choose to whom these gifts are given. But they lie!! Do you think grace can be contained and rationed? Only items that are rare and sparse can be doled out to those deemed worthy. My Father's gifts are overflowing and abundant and everywhere, like loaves and fishes feeding thousands, like wine from water bringing joy and elation to wedding guests for a month! Not only is the father's mercy and forgiveness abundant, but so is his joy and laughter. His laughter!! Have you not heard the sound of our Father's laugh? What have you been listening to?
He longs to sing and dance with us, to toast the beauty of his rainbows and flowers. And in moments of his own drunken glory he will fling stars across the sky and laugh -- yes, LAUGH ---- as we "ooh" and "aaah."

Why kneel in a dark, damp, gloomy church, wailing and moaning over "your sins?" Do you really believe the Father is there?

Look in the eyes of your beloved, the smiles of the children, the serenity of your elders, the passion of lovers. Tell me: where do you think the Father is to be found?
Scroll 5: 10 -16

Now on "THOM P. MILLER MUSIC"

"Rainbows" (1989) - for Vocals, flute, soprano, reed organ, and drum. ---featuring words by A. Rimbaud. One of my "greatest hits."

"And They Were All Together in One Place.."

Hymn to the Spirit...

“Hymn to the Spirit”

Spirit from heaven, our faith awaken,
And give our hearts new songs to sing.
It is from you that every breath is taken,
You dwell within each living thing.
Grant us your peace, and with love surround us,
And be our souls’ most welcome guest.
Your many graces are all around us,
And with your gifts we are most blessed.

You speak to us in so many voices,
In times of laughter, in times of tears.
This world presents us with many choices.
Our lives are filled with hopes and fears.
You plant the seeds of truth inside us,
All worldly cares to rise above.
You speak the words that alone can guide us:
You speak of wisdom, you speak of love.

Spirit from heaven, our faith awaken,
And give our hearts new songs to sing.
It is from you that every breath is taken,
You dwell within each living thing.
Oh may your hand be on our shoulders,
And guide us through every passing day,
As time moves onward and we grow older,
‘til we are home with you to stay.
**************************************************
My words to the traditional Irish tune, "Kerrickfergus". sung by the choir of St. Joseph Church, St. Johns, MI
TPM;1991

HEY! I'm Trying to Listen for the Spirit!!!

I am not a “party animal”. I’m not particularly fond of large noisy gatherings. I’ve been known to come in the front door, say hello to everyone, grab a drink, and leave by the back door. Or you can find me in some little nook, either looking at the books on the host’s bookshelves(one of my favorite things to do anywhere,) or talking very seriously with one or two people.

In the church year, I prefer Advent to Christmas (just not a “fa-la-la” person) and Lent to Easter. And Pentecost, with those “born of the spirit” people, brings to mind hazy memories of one incredibly large and loud college party, where one of my teachers and I were hitting on the same girl, a freshman whose father was on the Board of Trustees, and I woke up searching for a bottle of beer that didn’t have a cigarette butt in it. But I digress.

If you read the account of Pentecost in ACTS, it really is a noisy gathering, full of rowdy people screaming in languages they didn’t even know, showing off with miracles and trying to out-baptize each other. And, of course, as the early church grew, their fervor did not die down; they seemed bent on making as much commotion as possible. I guess the Spirit can do that to people. (Imagine if they all had blogs!!!)

My admiration grows for the early “Desert Fathers” (and Mothers,) who, amidst all the post-Pentecost hoopla of evangelism and church-forming, went off into the desert, one by one, each to be alone and search for God.

So much religious noise (I’m being kind) permeates our surroundings today. So many people, it would seem, have licenses from the Spirit to play games of “I know something you don’t know” and “I’m saved and you’re not.” And you get extra points for being very loud. (Don’t believe me? Look up “spirit” or “Pentecost” on YOUTUBE.) So here I am, at this party, and depressed as hell because I can’t find the back door that leads to the desert. What’s happened to the desert , anyway?