Rfelecion

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Deep Calls to Deep
Come after me,” he said. They instantly dropped their nets and followed
the deepest desires of their soul.
Each moment God is calling us. Even as we are bent upon our work, we
hear the voice that recognizes us. This strange yet familiar voice calls us to
let go of what we believe is so essential, to leave the comfortable shores for
deep waters.
What familiar nets entangle me, what safe shore keeps me from moving
on? When I hear the irresistible voice saying “You. Now. I need you.” Will I
go?
Song: Into the Deep
1. Draw us from the shallows, Out into the deep.
Our faith was weak and hollow, But its strengthened in our need.
Though the waters overwhelm us, Though the shore be far from sight.
From the storm you call forth stillness, From the darkness you call light.
CH: Even the wind and the waves,
Will listen to your voice.
Oh speak your love and your grace,
And calm the storm within.
Lead us from the certain, Into your mystery.
With fearless love abounding, You ride the raging seas.
Though the waters overwhelm us, Though the shore be far away.
You walk on waves to find us, Your hands reach out to save.
Far beyond the headland, Where fear and freedom meet.
The drowning and the dying, You haul us to our feet.
Though the waters overwhelm us, Though the shore is far behind.
Drifting daughter’s you will rescue, Shipwrecked son’s you will find.
The Call
I have heard it all my life,
A voice calling a name I recognized as my own.
Sometimes it comes as a soft-bellied whisper.
Sometimes it holds an edge of urgency.
But always it says: Wake up, my love. You are walking asleep.
There’s no safety in that!
Remember what you are, and let a deeper knowing
color the shape of your humanness.
There is nowhere to go. What you are looking for is right here.
Open the fist clenched in wanting and see
what you already hold in your hand.
Let yourself be one of the God-mad,
faithful only to the Beauty you are.
Let the Lover pull you to your feet and hold you close,
dancing even when fear urges you to sit this one out.
Oriah Mountain Dreamer
Reflection: Hooked
Thomas Merton, the famed Trappist
monk of the 20th century, once took a
picture that he titled “The Only Known
Photograph of God.”
The picture was of a meat hook.
I keep thinking of this stark image,
and Merton’s title, as I ponder this
Sunday’s gospel reading. “Follow me,”
Jesus says, “and I will make you fish for

2. sunilbritto@gmail.com ORDINARY WINDOWS
people.” His invitation stirs the unsettling question: if fish are food, a
catch intended for consumption, then what is it that we people are to
God, once we fall into the net of the divine?
Given what a consuming, demanding, and sometimes perilous
prospect it can be to share fully in the life of Christ, one might well
wonder: what compels us to follow him?
Jan Richardson
Song: Follow Me (87 Times)
1. I met this preacher from Australia.
He read the Bible searching for its dominant themes,
And he counted 87 times when Jesus said... "Follow me."
Well you know that got me thinking,
Maybe that's the bottom line of what "Christian" means.
'Cause "I follow Jesus" is deeper than "I believe",
'Cause it don't take much to mentally agree,
With a set of beliefs written down in some creed.
Now don't get me wrong,
we need to know what we believe,
But lately I've been wondering...
CH: Am I following Jesus, or just believing in Christ.
'Cause I can believe and not change a thing,
But following will change my whole life.
He never said, come,
acknowledge my existence,
Or believe in me,
I'm the 2nd person of the Trinity.
But 87 times he said... Follow me.
2. Yes, we need to know ,
what we believe,
to follow the Jesus who's real.
God save us from the Christ's
we create in our image.
(you know what I mean...)
The Jesus who's as left wing,
or right wing as we.
The one who baptizes,
our cherished ideologies.
The one who always seems to favor our side against some enemy.
Now I don't mean to sound self-righteous,
God knows I've got more questions than answers to proclaim.
But its been over 20 years now since Jesus called my name.
So forgive me if I'm mistaken,
But there's something wrong with a lot of churches
in America these days.
And I think the Spirit's trying to tell us,
There's a question that the churches need to raise...
4. Are we following Jesus? Or just believing in Christ?
'Cause we can believe, and not change a thing.
But following will change our whole life,
He never said, come, acknowledge my existence.
Or believe in me, I'm your first class ticket to eternity...
But 87 times he said... Follow me...
The Greek word for “baptism” has two meanings. We are familiar
with the first meaning: “to immerse or to drown”. The second and
interesting meaning is “to dye or to colour.”
Dyeing could be the accurate image for baptism. When we are
dipped into the wild and bold imagination of the life Jesus offers, we