Witness- Jesus' instruction:
in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria
and to the ends of the earth.
Power - the Holy Spirit:
wind, flames, tongues
all hear the witness.
Conversion - many are changed:
many follow The Way,
in Jerusalem.
Persecution - Stephen is stoned:
believers persecuted
disciples scatter.
Witness - Phillip in Samaria,
an Ethiopian eunuch
baptized.
Vision - Peter, a sheet, 3 times,
"What God has made clean"
Caesarea, a Roman Centurion.
Vision - Paul, Road to Damascus
bright light, conversion -
a new witness.
Sent - the Holy Spirit sends
Paul & Barnabas
to the Gentiles.
Controversy - Self-Righteous
believers from Jerusalem
say, "No!"
Gentiles cannot be admitted
to Jesus' church!
unless they cease being who they are,
unless they repent being Gentile,
and are purified
in the Jewish way,
become like us,
they cannot be Christian!
Confrontation - Paul in Jerusalem
wins for the Gentiles, but
is persecuted, threatened, arrested.
Christianity spreads - witness continues
Gentiles are included,
new churches
around the known world.
Inclusion spreads the Word
Exclusion does not!
Acts ends - story does not
Still today
there are the self-righteous
who say
some cannot be included,
unless they repent of being
who they are,
become like us.
Those self-righteous ones
must not have read
The Acts of the Apostles!
Joyce Alexander
5/23/21
Knowing
Sometimes you just know too much - or so you think! But, perhaps that is old knowing - perhaps there is new knowing. And so, you search for the new - you find the experts, you listen, you learn, you grow, and in new knowing you find hope. New knowing does not negate your old knowing; it builds on it - so never settle for the old knowing, for the fearful, for the hopeless - search out the new knowing, find the growing, hope-filled future! Joyce Alexander, 10/21/20
I have today
I have today I have the morning, I have the sunlight slanting through the trees, backlighting the Spanish moss, highlighting the feathers on a white bird beside the water. I have today I have dew on the green grass, a woodpecker on a tree his red cockade nodding. I have the crunch of sand beneath my feet the ache of muscles and sheen of sweat as I walk. I have today, worrying about tomorrow will rob me of this day, and will not change a thing. I have today, this morning, this moment. I thank God for this day. Amen. Joyce Alexander, 10/14/20
After the Storm
It stormed yesterday, and the night before, and the day before that - wind and rain, rain and wind - But this morning the sun was shining, and I went for a walk in the park.
The lake was high, the ducks were happy - drainage ditches were filled, forest paths had been washed over, with leaves, mud, and debris - and the forest floor was covered in sticks and twigs and stiff, hard, brown, dead palm fronds.
Looking up, the green palms swayed in the breeze, flexible green fronds clinging tightly to the heart, the life-giving core, of the tree. They survived the storm by being flexible, while clinging to the life of the tree.
Our faith faces storms these days and those who insist on old ways, dead, stiff, dark legalism, “the way we’ve always done it”, litter the hard ground of death and decay. But those who remain flexible, while clinging to the life-giving heart of faith, clinging to love, will sway in the wind, will find new ways, will include more, and will grow and learn and love.
Joyce Alexander, 9/21/20
A Prayer for 2020
Lord, heal us!
Heal us from the virus
that sickens, destroys, and kills.
Heal our bodies, Lord.
Lord, heal us!
Heal us from the selfishness
that says I will not wear a mask,
I will not do what is inconvenient,
even when it hurts others.
Heal our hearts, Lord.
Lord, heal us!
Heal us from the need for power
that makes one man hold another
on the ground,
a knee on his neck,
until he dies.
Heal our souls, Lord.
Lord, heal us!
Heal us from the need to be superior,
to think of others as less-than,
tp think of others as “they”,
to oppress the oppressed,
to keep the outsider out.
Heal our hearts, Lord.
Lord, heal us!
Heal us from the need to dominate,
to show power,
to act tough,
to run down peaceful protesters
and ministers
with chemicals and flash grenades.
Heal our nation, Lord.
Lord, heal us.
Deliver us from the evil that surrounds us.
Give us hope, give us peace,
help us to love one another.
Amen.
Joyce Alexander, 6-19-20
Good Friday, 2020
On Friday
they huddled in despair
in the shadow
of the cross –
they did not know
Sunday was coming,
Easter was coming!
They fled,
and hid away in fear
they locked the doors
and waited –
they did not know
Easter was coming!
In darkness
they grieved,
death had taken its toll,
they felt their loss,
they did not know
light was coming,
resurrection was coming,
Easter was coming!
Today, we know
our own darkness,
we know our own grief,
we know our own fear,
we know our own despair –
but we know something else,
we know light will overcome darkness,
we know hope is coming,
we know resurrection is coming,
we know Easter is coming!!
Easter will come –
it will be different this year,
but one day soon,
we will again fling open the doors,
gather in our churches
and celebrate Easter!
Easter is coming!
Joyce Alexander, 3/8/20
Stillness
The sky is gray,
the woods still, quiet –
the air seems to pause,
expectant, waiting
for the coming front
to bring wind, rain, cold.
The air smells of jasmine,
blooming early,
Bougainvillea spills over a wall;
will bougainvillea and jasmine
survive the coming cold?
I meet a friend,
walking a dog named Emma –
he says Emma is feeling slow;
I note her graying muzzle.
An elderly man walks his blind dog –
he waits patiently
while she sniffs her way around.
The world outside
may be falling apart
but here, in the woods,
with the scent of jasmine,
and the love I see,
for the good old dogs,
I find a moment of peace,
a moment with God!
Joyce Alexander 2/26/20
Florida Winter
It is the season for the birds
in the park where I walk –
Today there was a woodpecker
with his red cockade and black coat –
and a small heron
with blue-gray feathers.
But mostly,
there are white-feathered ibis
with long curving beaks,
and gulls –
sweeping and soaring,
skimming the water,
settling on pier rails,
screeching a raucous racket,
to the world —
demanding food from the humans
who come with their little bags
their offerings to the birds –
and where the humans sit
hunched on benches
scattering crumbs,
the birds gather –
and the green skirts of the lake
are embroidered with the
white of the gathered birds.
Joyce Alexander, 2-6-20
A Prayer
Jeremiah 6: 13 – 15
“From the least to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; prophets and priests alike, all practice deceit. 14They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. ‘Peace, peace,’ they say, when there is no peace. 15Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush.”
Dear Lord,
We pray for peace – but there is no peace.
In our streets, schools, churches – everywhere –
hate, racism, fear, and anger
result in violence.
We pray for hope – but find despair.
The hungry, the thirsty, the naked –
all despair,
as people are jailed for giving water
to the thirsty,
as programs to feed the poor – are cut,
and suicide rates soar.
We pray for faith – but find doubt.
But wait – doubt is not the enemy,
certainty is.
The self-righteous claim Christianity,
in the certainty that they are right.
We claim Christianity,
and doubt, and seek the answers –
seek to follow Jesus.
We pray for love –
while hate surrounds us.
Teach us to love better.
Help us to love one another –
Help us to love our neighbor –
especially our neighbor who is different from us.
Peace, hope, faith, love –
This is our prayer, Lord,
For all the world! Amen.
Joyce Alexander, 11-5-2019
I Am Weary
I am weary to my soul
of news reports of shootings –
in schools, workplaces, churches,
and on our streets!
I am weary to my soul
of candlelight vigils
and memorials at shooting sites
with flowers and teddy bears!
I am weary to my soul
of thoughts and prayers
sent to loved ones
by those who do nothing!
I am weary to my soul
of these daily offerings
on the altar of the NRA
and a gun-loving public!
Can’t we agree on sensible
gun-control laws?
Can’t we stop the carnage?
Love Never Ends 