Lectionary reading — Lent 3 Year C O dear God, I love you! I ache for you, my heart burns for you and only you can quench this fire only you can satisfy my desire O sweet God, be on my lips lightly brushing, then with the full force Of my passion for your presence […]
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On my forehead, A sign of the cross, Smudged in ash from the fire That burned down the McMansion of my hubris, And, with it, The money I should have given away, The screens I stare at to numb my senses, The carpet I should have been called on, The doors I should have opened […]
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Before you know it, your kid’s childhood is over and she’s gone off to college. Before you know it, your vacation is over and it’s time to go back to work. Before you know it, the storm has passed and the sky is clear. Before you know it, way too much of your life has […]
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A cool clear dawn in early spring: She stepped outside to fill her jug With water from the village well. “What is happening to my feet?” She whispered as she walked along. They’d never felt so full of life… They seemed to float above the ground. And up her legs and through her thighs A […]
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But or And? A slightly-adapted skit by Jim Burklo, USA (‘Use freely – with attribution.’) This is written to use as a springboard for a sermon or conversation. Stage directions for online [Zoom or recorded] Spotlight the two screens: BUT and AND. BUT – hold a cross just off-centre on your screen and each time […]
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O dear One whose name is more than a name whose power I cannot tame O dear One I look into the sky, brushed with streaks of pink and orange at the dawn And am reduced to babytalk — ohhhh, wow…. I gaze at mountain ranges, parapets of stone And remember how puny is my […]
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Lectionary: Lent 4A, Easter 4 ABC, Proper 23 A, Proper 11 B God is my personal consultant. I have it made. She lets me kick back and relax, knowing that with her guidance, everything will go smoothly. She gives me a much-needed boost. She tells me the right way to handle things — and let’s […]
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Let us feast on simple pleasures, and fast from all that gets our bodies and souls out of balance. Let us feast on kindness, and fast from sarcasm. Let us feast on compassion, and fast from holding grudges. Let us feast on patience, and fast from anxiety. Let us feast on peace, and fast from […]
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Exodus 20:1-17 Jim writes… ‘The ten commandments endure as a foundation for morality, after thousands of years. But just like other guiding/governing documents, from time to time we need to add amendments to them. The ten commandments are a short list, and that is a very good thing. They mostly tell us what not to […]
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Psalm 22 arises in the Revised Common Lectionary on Good Friday, Lent 2 (B) and Proper 7 (C) and 23 (B). Oh, vacant sky! Oh, empty land! Oh heart of mine, bereft of hope! Why do I even bother crying? What’s the use Of even complaining? When there is no one to hear And no […]
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Christmas is… The mythic story of a true turning point In the natural history of consciousness, Celebrating the birth of unconditional compassion. The turn away from an eye for an eye, The passing of supernatural, superpower God; The rising of God with no power but love. A story of hope for the peaceable kin-dom, Activation […]
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A Christmas Carol for today Tune: Cranham – original words: Christina Rossetti Photo by Carol Kreis, USA In this bleak pandemic, lonely and afraid City streets are empty, gatherings delayed Snow has fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow, Oh this bleak pandemic, how long will it stay? Once there was a stable, in a […]
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Tune: O Waly Waly (Welsh folk tune) — also known as The Water Is Wide (listen to James Taylor’s performance of it) Use freely, with attribution. For deeper love we spread the bread I won’t be full till all are fed Till every soul has home and bed The rest of us can’t move ahead […]
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I’m a progressive Christian who: keeps the faith and drops the dogma experiences God more than I believe in any definition of God thinks that my faith is about deeds, not creeds takes the Bible seriously because I don’t take it literally thinks spiritual questions are more important than religious answers cares more about […]
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Jim writes, ‘Use freely. All I ask is attribution!’ Breaking Free – a flower becomes a butterfly – and learns to appreciate flowers The Clay Bird (an interfaith message – Christian/Muslim) Elephant Eggs – pure silliness! punch line: what you need is probably already here. Of Seeds and Stardust – a poetic science-based creation story […]
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What words describe our reaction to specific flags? This hymn comes in two versions: international and specific to the United States of America (scroll down). The tune is Finlandia. International version This is our flag, inviting every nation To human freedom and democracy We lift it high, and sing out our devotion In harmony from […]
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‘This is my body…’ This is the body of Christ. This body knows what it is like to long for a hug, but not be able to get one when it needs it the most. This body knows how to feel a hug through a window or a screen. This body knows what it is […]
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New words to an old tent-meeting revival hymn Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling Calling for you and for me Walking his pathway toward joy and compassion Calling for you and for me Come home, come home You who are weary come home; Earnestly, tenderly Jesus is calling, Calling, “Dear searcher, come home” Leave behind […]
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Let us fast from hugging and handshaking And let us feast on bowing and waving. Let us fast from hoarding food and toilet paper And let us feast on the food in the back of our pantries. Let us fast from gathering physically And let us feast on communing virtually. Let us fast from obsessing […]
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Written to welcome a newborn grandson, Jim’s beautiful and wise words can be adapted easily for any grandchild. My dear grandson, Jacob – Precious crown of creation swaddled in a blanket, Sleeping deep in heavenly peace – To the Love who is God I give thanks for your birth, And on behalf of this world […]
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For more Christmas poems by Jim Burklo click here. I turn in shame, I toss in pain I cannot sleep: confusion reigns I cannot sort the wrong from right I groan in turmoil through the night. Across the town dear Mary rests; A baby grows below her breasts. Good sense suggests that it is mine […]
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Las Posadas, a Mexican Advent tradition stretches from 16 December through Christmas, during which actors depict Mary and Joseph looking for lodging. They travel throughout the town or city, followed by a procession of children and other members of the community carrying candles. A song is traditionally sung at each ‘inn’ along the way. Las Posadas — Jim Burklo, […]
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The I I think is what I am Is actually a we The what I am is what you are There is no separate me For I don’t weigh a single pound Nor look a single see I can’t be touched, I can’t be found My body I can’t be And so it is with […]
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We follow the way of Jesus. He opens our hearts To know that our true selves are one with God, who is Love. Jesus saves us from fear, from selfishness, from meaninglessness. He leads us to serve with compassion and act for justice. He moves us to curiosity and creativity. He brings us together in […]
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You bring alive what once seemed dead Your word becomes as real as bread Your love we taste in sips of wine Your meal reveals the life divine Jim Burklo, Associate Dean of Religious Life at the University of Southern California, writes regularly for the ProgressiveChristianity.org liturgy project. Many of his liturgical materials can […]
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Tune: Sursum Corda 10.10.10.10. (How Like a Gentle Spirit) (Use freely, with attribution) One truck delivers us our wine and bread Another swerves and leaves our children dead One driver sings a hymn of love and life Another chants a call to holy strife One phone is used to set a bomb alight Another used […]
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Tune: “Fairest Lord Jesus” (Crusaders’ Hymn: 5.6.8.5.5.8) Seeker of justice, turner of the tables One who made sure that the poor were fed Land for the landless, home for the homeless And baskets filled with fish and bread. Friend of the friendless, lover of the enemy, Love that conventions cannot contain, Boundless […]
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Tune: Nicaea (Holy, Holy, Holy) Words by Jim Burklo (use freely with attribution) Holy, holy, holy, love now ascending Early in the morning our song shall rise to you Holy, holy, holy, joy that has no ending Giving, forgiving, breathing life anew. Holy, holy, holy, love without a limit Care that binds creation in sacred […]
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Tune: “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name”, Coronation C.M. Words by Jim Burklo (use freely with attribution) We praise you, God, with rousing song, we answer at your call Your Word creates the universe, We praise you, God of all Your Word creates the universe, We praise you, God of all […]
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May be read in unison as a Call to Worship I worship and adore God, source, essence, and aim of all things, spirit that enlivens all beings. I follow the way of Jesus, who found God in himself and shared a way for others to find God in themselves. He was born […]
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May the peace of God surround you Like the trees of the forest May the peace of God warm you all over Like the sun in the sky May the peace of God swell and roll over you Like a wave in the sea May the peace of God fill you Like the cool wind […]
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“‘God did it’ isn’t an explanation,” said Joseph. He got no account for the baby’s chromosomes, No description of the mechanism that Transmuted the divine shadow into royal blood. “‘The devil made me do it’ would have sounded better to me,” said Joseph, Though it never did him any good When he said it to […]
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Tune: “For All the Saints” Sine Nomine 10.10.10.A Words by Jim Burklo (use freely with attribution) Appropriate for Church Anniversaries For all the ways we help each other grow As we share stories, moments high and low The face of Christ among us now will show We sing allelujia, allelujia. For all the people […]
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Las Posadas, a Mexican Advent tradition stretches from 16 December through Christmas, during which actors depict Mary and Joseph looking for lodging. They travel throughout the town or city, followed by a procession of children and other members of the community carrying candles. A song is traditionally sung at each ‘inn’ along the way. Jim Burklo has written new […]
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A Christmas Poem What wisdom I have Awakens me to my blindness. I cannot see light itself: What I know of light Is only an alluring shadow Of what it is and does. From billions of years away in space-time, Through darkness intervening, At its inconceivable speed The light of an exploding star passes Through […]
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God is Love, the cosmic creativity present everywhere and in everything, Gently urging all toward the good. To transcending Love, we raise our awestruck praise! Jesus embodied the Love that is God. He loved the poor, the sick, the outcast, He loved the unpopular, and even his own enemies. He loved so completely, he loved […]
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(use freely with attribution) Tune: Madrid 6.6.6.6 – “Come Christians, Join to Sing” Watch mountain shadows run Allelujia! Amen! Clouds gilded by the sun Allelujia! Amen! Hear tumbling water sing Birds calling on the wing In canyons echoing Allelujia! Amen! Breathe in the desert air Allelujia! Amen! Let footsteps call to prayer Allelujia! Amen! Layers […]
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Let us prayerfully focus on this water, as I pour it into the bowl, and as we do, let each of us infuse it with our commitments to share with (this child / name) the unique gifts that God has given us, gifts (this child / name) will need from us as s/he goes along […]
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We are here to praise God for the life of /Name/, our young friend, who in such a short time has brought us so much joy. Through /Name/ we have experienced birth again in a new and more conscious way; in him, God has created the world again, opening us to wonder and possibility that […]
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