Author: Rev. Dr. Daniel C. Wilburn

Flee!Flee!Flee! 60 miles per hourthe dove fliesand escapes the fowler’s snareprotect me from myselfyou O One, true One, are ahead of meO Love, O Lover of me and Knower,Soul SearcherHeart Searcherwho knew me before I was formedyou have a plan for me thatno superstition can conquer. What judge can assess me?None. No one knows my darknessmy sin goes before melike an advance team, scouting out opportunity. I am undone;demisedtortured Perhaps the birds are demons, possessed, corrupted.They call and singburdened and frenetic and panickedthey are full of scarcity and frightthey are worthlessyetyetyetyet you know each is worth more to you than goldNot one falls that you are not mindful of it Whom shall I fear then?Death comes knocking – Parades!And I run out into the streetto see what is the commotion.“Look, it is DEATH! Be very afraid!Don’t trust g-d for the One is away,and the One is uncaring! Flee!” But this is not like a bird.A bird trusts you O One for its nextseed and bug, and bath and songthe birds sing to the sunrise and welcomethe morning illuminationAll demons flee at the light.the dawn kills fear.For you O One are Light. May we flee, flee, flee to you. Doves fly at 60 miles per...

O God, each year you give us the happiness of celebrating the Lord’s resurrection. By celebrating this feast that sanctifies time may we attain the reward of rejoicing eternally. – Grail Psalter for Easter Wednesday April 7th I am struck by the Psalter’s insight that the gospel year “sanctifies time.” A good Lent makes for a good Easter. All those days of prayer, contrition, confession, abstinence and fasting – they make time valuable, those days are sanctified by our attentiveness to prayer. I wish all my time was “sanctified.”  I wish I would spend all my days at the King’s table.  I wish I’d never leave.  No gap between myself and g-d. This is possible of course.  To walk with Jesus each day is actually easy.  It takes a rhythm, a routine, a reminder outside of our will, our self determination. Wednesday morning around 6:00 a.m. I walked out to get the newspaper and the dark pre-dawn was fully awake and alive with the songs of dozens of birds.  Their song was a blasting chorus of Spring.  It was sweet and clear and joyous and energetic.  “Delight” is the word that comes to mind – like a garden of delights, an Eden I suppose.  I smile at my joy.  I smirk at my cynicism, which lies just below the thought surface.  I will not go there, or as J.R.R....

6 “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’ “ 8 Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid. (Mark...

How rich is this day, Good Friday.  “Good” because our King has paid the price for our sin.  Our Passover has been sacrificed.  For sin always costs.  Because of this day sin doesn’t cost us. How rich the day… For HE who sits in the heavens laughs at the nations who believe they are in charge (Psalm 2) For JESUS who hangs upon the gibbet of the cross and cries out in our deepest cry, “My GOD, My God why have you forgotten me?”  G-d as human – such is the Father’s love.  Death takes him. For Christ is our High Priest, Christ is our Mediator of the new covenant.  But he did not enter and make atonement with the blood  bulls and goats. No, he atones with his own blood, the complete, effective, perfect sacrifice – g-d himself.  Such love.  (Hebrews 9) How rich the day… The soldier pierces his side and out comes water and blood.We are a people marked by the water and blood… “Now the water was a symbol of baptism and the blood, of the holy Eucharist.” St. John Chrysostom. From these two – the water and the blood – the church is fashioned.  The Church, the bride of Christ is betrothed upon this day, from Jesus’ side, like Eve taken from Adam’s side, his rib, “bone from my bones, flesh from my flesh!”...

Remembering Passion Week, we should recall that yesterday, Monday, Jesus visited the Temple in Jerusalem.  He rode in on the donkey colt as royalty.  He looked around the temple.  Depending on which gospel evangelist you pay attention to, Jesus then cleared the temple outer court of the money changers.  I think we misunderstand the money changers.  They weren’t just crass profiteers making a shekel off the worshipers.  No, they had a righteous function: changing dirty Roman coinage into holy coinage – they kept worshipers from defiling the temple with pagan money.  Good men.  Jesus clears them out. No matter which evangelist you read, one thing was certain: today, Tuesday,  the religious leaders decided Jesus was a big problem.  “By whose authority do you do these things?  Who authorized you?”  Power struggle. Today is the most evil day.  Today and tomorrow.  For today normal men, good men, family men, holy men, loyal men got together and plotted how they can kill Jesus according to the law.  Think of the conversations… “He has got to go.  He’s going to bring down the whole Roman garrison down on us.  He’s going to cause a riot.  Innocent people will ruthlessly get killed.  Our nation, our temple and our families are at stake.  All our religious deals we’ve swung with the Romans are in jeopardy.  Herod won’t stand for some pretender king.  He’ll do...