All You Need

“You have heard it said, “You shall not murder,” but I say to you that if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable. So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift.”  —Matthew 5.21-24

Be Reconciled

The law of God
is not a gate you make it through,
not a finish line you attain.
It is the road toward relationships
of healing, blessing and justice.

The law of God
is not a target you can hit or miss.
It is the bow that shoots you
toward perfect love.

The law of God
is a metaphor
for awe
which you wonder about out loud
until you become a
metaphor for love.

—Steve Garnaas-Holmes, unfoldinglight.net

I imagine for most of you, as it has been for me, this week has been full of heart softening, sweet memories elicited by the music of the Beatles; wonder and breathlessness from watching the world’s best athletes compete in the Sochi Winter Olympics; and the mix of emotions evoked by the marketing of and the shared expectations we build around the hearts, flowers and candy calling from Valentine’s Day. My friend, Steve Garnaas-Holmes connected it all (for me) to our gospel lesson for this week—and leaves me with just one simple word (thanks John Lennon): “All You Need Is Love.” Sing it with me? Love, love, love…

With blessing and prayer, Rev. Wendy Miller Olapade/revwdmiller@comcast.net