Come, gladsome Light,

and split the dark of prison cell and tomb,

of numb hearts and anxious minds,

of shamed regret and lost chances.

Shoot like sparks through stubble,

revealing glory in hard places,

grace in sorrow’s gloom.

Shine too is us, frail lamps you made to glow;

and by the faint rays of our gleaming,

even ours,

unshadow shadowed hearts

with Love forever blazing and undimmed.

Jesus, our Mother, see:

we scrubbed our faces,

washed behind our ears,

brushed our teeth.

We pulled our jammies on,

the ones with feet.

It is time for bed.

Please read us a story.

Sing us to sleep.

Watch while we drift.

Bend down to hear

our even breathing

and kiss us on the head.

Turn off the light.

But do not tiptoe out.

Do not close the door.

Do not leave us to dream alone;

for not all dreams are sweet,

not every bed is snug,

not every child sleeps through the night.

If we should need a drink,

a whisper in our ear,

a soft “There, There”

for our whimpering hearts,

if we should need another lullaby,

O Christ, be near

Summon me, my God,

to a death down deep.

 In the fresh furrow of this day,

bury the small cask of my life.

And if I struggle hard

against the mercy that sows me,

afraid of the dark

and all I lose by dying,

count out for me

the cost of my fear:

the green withheld,

the fruit unborne,

the damage done

by desiring too little.

Summon me, my God,

from life seeded on the surface

to death down deep today.

Praise to you for the boy in the park

outside my window.

You made him lanky and brown

with feet as big as his skateboard.

He’s wrecking the soft bricks

trying to perfect a fancy move.

It is eluding him.

He swears when he falls off.

Where did he learn those words?

He tries again. When he misses,

the board slaps sharply on the sidewalk.

He misses a lot. Slap, slap, slap.

It startles the cat.

It’s impossible to concentrate

while he’s working at joy,

but when he pulls it off, oh baby!

oh brother! I think of you,

the glee you feel when

we make it: when just once

we get love right.

Create a new heart in us,

O risen Christ.

Our old hearts falter,

exhausted with nostalgia,

shrinking in yesterday’s shadows.

They look to the past to find you,

but you are not in the past.

You live in the future.

From tomorrow’s fullness

you are coming to us,

aflame with morning light.

Help us, then,

who live so ploddingly,

to imitate you

not as we conjure you on

mythic hillsides long ago,

but as you are now in glory:

all imagination—

unlimited, original, and new.

God recklessly in love, you leave your gate unbolted,

your door ajar, your treasury unguarded.

Come in and see, you tell us, come and see!

You lay out precious things—designer blessings

for the threadbare heart, joy and justice for the world.

Like a spendthrift you heap them on us;

like a wastrel you give them away.

Praise and honor, thanks and glory,

now and forever! Amen.

If you, O Lord, are not awfully disappointed

that now I will not be able to solve

the financial problems of my congregation

and build several houses for the poor in Honduras

with the generous donation from my winnings

I had every intention of making had I won

(after, of course, taking care of my family and friends,

paying off the mortgage and the plastic

and buying a vacation house and a Mercedes,

silver if they have it),

then I suppose I’ll be fine too.

I’ll get over it, even ‘though

the thought of all the good I could have done with that money

is hard to let go of,

even ‘though you could have used me

and my millions to make a difference.

Oh well. I will not stop dreaming of doing good.

I have my numbers picked for when the jackpot gets big again.

Bless them. There’s so much I want.

To do, I mean.

For you, of course.

Amen.

Holy Spirit,

cheerless hearts sprang to life

when Jesus taught the scriptures

to sad disciples on the road.

Now speak to me, I pray,

and hearten me.

Break the Word upon me

like a brand new day.

Make me cling to it

like a long-lost love returned.

Give me joy in its understanding,

and courage in its costly claim.