new year of blessing..

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Well here I am the first day of this year,

that’s twenty twenty-five years from the time

humanity’s great leader lived down here

and had to deal with this setting, and climb

out of his bed each morning, like we must,

and face the kinds of sickness and too pain,

and immaturity, weakness of dust

that ev’ry generation does - again.

Last night we were reminded of a thing

that Jesus’ people learned centuries before

he came along and joined in*, discipling

himself to keep it up, and do it more.

It seems a life and death thing to me now,

a discipline I’d like to do these days

to get into the habit of somehow -

by God, be blessing - giving thanks, or praise,

acknowledging what’s really good; (see, hear,

and put to word: to name, draw connections

back to the source of goodness which is near)

but hidden - as a wild creature beckons

the humans out - to interact alone,

or in a measured way that’s indirect,

or hidden, gentle, quiet as a stone,

that’s not predation’s way - mostly direct

(that’s not to say direction is all bad).

I’m taking this path now, this year, for me°.

Oh God I might need help, your spirit’s rad-

i-cal, and present, and community.

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*  “A few hundred years before Jesus’ time, Jews began to pay close attention to the words Moses spoke on the edge of the Promised Land,  ‘When you have eaten and are satisfied, you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land he has given you.’ (Deuteronomy 8:10 NASB) He then went on to warn the people that when their silver and gold multiplied, they would be tempted to forget the Lord’s great gift, thinking that their own efforts had produced their prosperity. (Deut.8:14). In order to heed this warning the Jewish people developed a tradition of offering specific short prayers throughout the day, from the instant they awoke, until the moment they fell asleep… each tiny prayer is called a Berakhah, which means blessing … (Ps 103:1) = “praise”.. (see NIV), to acknowledge him as the source of all blessing. A Berakhah is actually a prayer of thanksgiving.” One way Jews often explain it is to note that the word for “bless,” barakh, can also mean “to kneel”. It is as if you are momentarily “kneeling down” mentally, and humbly praising God for his goodness. In Jesus’s day each prayer was just one short line that started with “Blessed is he.”..  (from “Sitting at the feet of Rabbi Jesus - How the Jewishness of Jesus can transform your faith”, chapter 7 - For Everything a Blessing; by Anne Spangler & Lois Tverberg, Zondervan, 2009, 2018, p99.)

°  my list of blessings to learn, to lean into, one to consider each day this year.

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