Sword Saints

An open letter to Chloe on the occasion of her baptism

Dear Chloe,

At your birth your mother and I gave you the name
that means "Blossoming Full of Grace".
"Full of Grace" is from your great-grandmother,
that as you peer into the past
you might glimpse grace upon grace.
"Blossoming" is all your own,
that as you face the future
you might imagine how grace will grow and flourish.

At your baptism your mother and I give you the name
of the Trinity:
the Father
and the Son
and the Holy Spirit,
the name that causes the blossoming of grace in our lives.

The name of the Father who created us and loves us
and made you to blossom in our lives,
who keeps His covenant promises
and would adopt you as His own.

The name of the Son who as God became man,
and suffered and died and rose from the dead for us,
the name above all names, the "yes" to the promises of God,
He who would redeem you as a daughter of God.

The name of the Spirit who hovered over the face of the waters,
who comforts and helps us,
and opens our eyes
and greens our hearts that grace might grow,
and would give you new life in the Son.

May the name we gave you at birth,
Blossoming Full of Grace,
always remind you of the name we gave you at your baptism.
Chloe, may your life blossom full of grace in the name of the Trinity:
the Father,
the Son,
the Holy Spirit.

"The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace."

Love and blessings,
Mommy and Papa
30 August 2009

In the presence of the king

I've been slowly working my way through the Lord of the Rings books again and finally reached the last installment, The Return of the King. As I was reading, an exchange between Merry and Théoden hit me right between the eyes:

'I have a sword,' said Merry, climbing from his seat, and drawing from its black sheath a small bright blade. Filled suddenly with love for this old man, he knelt on one knee, and took his hand and kissed it. 'May I lay the sword of Meriadoc of the Shire on your lap, Théoden King?' he cried. 'Receive my service, if you will!'

'Gladly will I take it,' said the king; and laying his long old hands upon the brown hair of the hobbit, he blessed him. 'Rise now, Meriadoc, esquire of Rohan of the household of Meduseld!' he said. 'Take your sword and bear it unto good fortune!'

'As a father you shall be to me,' said Merry.

'For a little while,' said Théoden.

Tolkien wrote us a picture not just of the idea of a king, but of the swirling emotions that surround an encounter with the person of a king. Merry was from the Shire, which had no king. He probably knew as much about kings as we do, namely, what he'd heard from stories and tales and legends. Yet in spite of that lack of experiential knowledge he was overwhelmed by his emotional response and did the only thing he knew to do: pledge his entire self to this king. What an incredible metaphor that is for how I should respond in the presence of the King of kings.

Wednesday haiku

Dry bones grow flesh as
the Spirit of God offers
life to the lifeless.

Article of Faith

There's a lively discussion about faith in science fiction and fantasy over at Mere Comments, the Touchstone Magazine blog, a topic near and dear to my heart. It just so happens that Escape Pod recently featured Mike Resnick's short story, "Article of Faith", which has been nominated for a Hugo this year. In this story, a robot reads the Bible, decides that it is true, and wants to join the church. I can't mention much else without spoiling it, so go read it or listen to it. The author has made the full text of the story available at his web site, or you can listen to the audio version at Escape Pod.

It is Friday, but Sunday is coming

Good Friday haiku

Earth shakes and sky broods
when the King yields his spirit,
but we look for life.

Wednesday haiku

To forgive is like
spiritual judo: bad
absorbed, good returned.

The Lamb among the lambs

The child who would be called "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" was born in a stable in Bethlehem, presumably surrounded by ritually clean livestock like sheep and cattle. Some of those same sheep and cattle might even have been for sacrificial purposes. The birth of the Christ child was the beginning of the end of death. It was the first decisive victory in the battle for the redemption of all of creation, including all those animals that would be chosen to die for the sins of another.

Wednesday haiku

Glory on the mount
with Elijah and Moses,
shining like the Son.

Sunday haiku

The space between the
stars I stride, clad in the clothes
of Christ's righteousness.

(Inspired by the first verse of John Wesley's translation of the hymn "Jesus, Thy Blood and Righteousness".)