I Choose Forgiveness

 

I Choose Forgiveness

Because of Your undeserved mercy

   i choose forgiveness

Because I hear You from the tree

    “Father forgive them,

      for they know not what they do.”

  i choose forgiveness

Amid feelings of abandonment

  i choose forgiveness

When trust is replaced with betrayal

  i choose forgiveness

In the face of accusations

      by the enemy of my soul

  i choose forgiveness

When the spirit of condemnation

    overwhelms me

  i choose forgiveness

Because unforgiveness is a poison

  i choose forgiveness

When the hurt rises back up

  i choose forgiveness

When surrounded by confusion

    misunderstanding and injustice

  i choose forgiveness

Since without it I’m held captive

  i choose forgiveness

Because I desire healing and wholeness

  i choose forgiveness

Because it is Your will for me

  i choose forgiveness

 

mark d. cooke, 3-25-23

The Prophet Had No Name (1st Kings 13)

 The Prophet Had No Name (1st Kings 13)

he was called a man of God

   sent with God’s Word to rulers and kings

calling leaders and nations to repentance

   faithfully, courageously declaring

the whole counsel of God with no regard or fear

he had no name for history or scripture to record

or did his mother name him at birth

   only to never be recalled by family, clan, or tribe?

God called him – he obeyed

   leaving all, going, and announcing

 

but then…

the lure of this world, contrary spirits,

   the misleading words of “religious” prophets

   and his own divided heart

shipwrecked his “ministry”

  took him down a wrong path

  losing his way, he lost his life, lost his name

his ministry over, his name erased, his destiny shattered

 

why would God record this story?

how often did he record even the names of His enemies

    or the enemies of His people?

maybe, just maybe,

it was God’s grace that we do not know

   we do not know his name, but we know his mission

   and we know his Redeemer and King

he heard and heeded the call

   he went, gave the Word

    then took a wrong turn

slain by a lion, finally buried,

    no tombstone, no marker, no name

 

i believe one day we will see this nameless brother

   and a great multitude of souls forgotten by men

but whose names are ever revered by our Lord

    in that place where sorrow and mourning are no more

where all of us are given a new name

    old names discarded, all forgiven, all made new

where corrective, prophetic words will be unneeded

    where the guidance and communion

    of the Holy Spirit will be complete and clear

where no religious spirit will mislead or distract

 

    until that day i will remember

the nameless man of God

    who made a name for himself – No Name

    and guard my heart and my path

but i have already taken many wrong turns

    trying to make a name or numbing my fear of man

cognizant that history, highway interchanges

   or even street signs, probably will not record my name

 

the prophet had no name, but he had a calling

   he had a purpose and a destiny

today, as i gaze through the lens of Scripture

   that nameless man of God looks like me.

 

mark d. cooke, All Soul’s Day, 11/02/2020

Black Bear Dream

    The dream began at the end of a church social event at a lake or a river; it was twilight, I was the last to leave. I did not see anyone in the dream, but somehow knew that something (with St. James I believed) had just finished up.

    Away from where everyone had been, there was a brightly lit, deserted, paved road that led to the edge of the water. I drove down the paved trail, but when I got to the water’s edge, I was on a bicycle.

    The river or lake was very low with a lot of muddy, marshy areas. It was dark and peaceful by the water, a very isolated place. I paused a bit then turned around to leave.

    Behind me I heard a huge plopping noise; when I turned around, a black bear had dropped to the ground from up in a dead tree.

    I started peddling faster; looking back to see he was beginning to chase me. He was about to catch me, when I yelled out, which awakened Jane, who awakened me. I did not feel anxious at all, rolled over and slept peacefully.
   After prayerful reflection the water was a swamp or a delta, and the bear was a mama bear.

A Word Awakened Church

“Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.” – Revelation 1:3

There is a battle raging all across our nation, a struggle of life and death, good and evil, light and darkness, truth and deception. As much as one would like to avoid this conflict, putting our heads in the sand or circling our wagons are not viable options.

          Although it may seem that hostility and incivility have increased at an alarming pace, this war is neither new nor should it be surprising to God’s people.

          Ever since the garden there has been an adversary seeking to crush and destroy the light of God and the people of God, but it does seem that in the last few years that the enemy is no longer operating in the shadows.

          The desecration of marriage, the murder of the innocent (like in Herod’s day), crushing national debt, political corruption, the vilifying of Christians and their values, the violent, global rise of Islam, sexual immorality and confusion, the pornography epidemic, and masses of churches abandoning the Gospel – all of this and more is enough for one to cry out in despair (or move to a cabin on some remote mountain or island).

          But it is for such a time as this that God has called a people called St. James to shine the light and hope of the grace, mercy, love, and truth of Jesus Christ into the midst of peoples, cultures, and nations that are wandering in darkness.

          Being awakened to the realities around us, the dire straits of our day, and awakened by the light and power of God’s word, demands that we heed God’s call like never before. “Business as usual will not cut it!”

          Prophetic words are being released in the parish; the prophetic word of Holy Scripture is being proclaimed in our pulpits; people are gathering for prayer, study, and nurturing. More are awakening to the Word and the Spirit and recognizing that “the time is near.”

          While the nations are being shaken, we are called to stand firm, shine the light, and carry the hope of His unshakeable Kingdom to our world.

          This is what it means to “Love God, Love People, and Build Community.”

I have you in my heart!   – Marco

Lo, He Comes with Clouds Descending

"Lo, He comes with clouds descending"

   As I write this, Thanksgiving Day has passed; kids are back in school; the Hallmark Channels are running their endless smorgasbord of holiday movies; 100.5 & 102.5 FM are 24/7 with every Christmas song ever written (I’m a Johnny Mathis Christmas guy); St. James is changing its liturgical colors; and everyone is getting into the Christmas spirit of some kind.

   There’s only one problem – it’s not the Christmas season, no matter what they shout, while Santa waves at the end of the Macy’s parade. It is Advent!

   If the secular world has successfully eliminated the Nativity from the holidays (You can find lovely “Christmas” decorations in Dubai or Kolkata), it has done a better job (with our help?) in expunging the expectancy of Advent from our thoughts, conversations, celebrations, and activities.

   Advent, the beginning of the Church Calendar Year, the declaration that the Christ has come and is coming again, the continuing call to all (believers and unbelievers) to wake up, the constant prompting of the urgency of this hour, the proclamation of hope that our redemption is near – this season is a stirring reminder that this world is not our home, and we are living and longing for our Lord’s coming and eternal Kingdom.

   And why wouldn’t the world want us to minimize this? The King of all kings has come into the world, died for our sins, risen from the grave, ascended to His heavenly throne and now declares His rule and reign over all, while the prince of this world convinces everyone that they are the captains of their own souls and that there is plenty of time.

   This prince, though he is a defeated foe, knows that time, in fact, is running out and that our King is soon to return, overthrowing all principalities and powers, opening the final books for judgment, and establishing His Kingdom, power, and dominion forever. Knowing all of this, the “ruler of this world” inoculates God’s people with busyness, idleness, the cares of this world, even the benign routines of life, so that the church softens its message, loses its urgency, and replaces longing with comforts.

   The Advent season cannot allow this to be the settled condition of Christ’s Church; it is a wake up call, the alarm in the fire station, the check engine light in the car, the sudden health scare, the hurricane warnings, and more, all meant to be jolts to our complacency.

   The King is returning! We don’t know when, but it’s closer than ever! Advent, the great cloud of witnesses, and God’s word all call us to readiness and alertness. Ministry, worship, and life at St. James echo that message and that hope.

   The Spirit is moving afresh in the people called St. James; there is a growing hunger for deeper intimacy with God, a longing for real, authentic relationships (Life Groups), continued equipping with the transforming truth of God’s Word, ministry to people of all ages, outreach to the broken and needy, and a greater expectancy that the Day of the Lord and redemption are nearer to us than ever before.

   I pray that each of you would know an awakened stirring this Advent season, and that you would gather with us as we sing, “Lo, He comes with clouds descending” and declare, “We remember his death, We proclaim his resurrection, We await his coming in glory.”

I have you in my heart!

Pastor Mark (Marco)

Re-entry

Re-entry: My Post Camino Journey

I have returned to my old life with all of its ambiguity

Moving from a deep sense of purpose on a world scale

To uncertainty, melancholy and meaninglessness

Exacerbated, I’m sure, by too much introspection

But undoubtedly fueled by a genuine depravation

One that is not new, nor fleeting

Ancient to the soul and lingering deep within 

How does one move from significance to desolation

Such a radical shift, belonging to detachment, in a matter of days

Having lived a life that others only dreamed of

Having scaled the heights and explored the depths 

Having been poured into by many notables from many streams

Having been taken, blessed, broken and given away

Having found faith, hope and love, earthly and heavenly

Having ventured into paths unknown, guided by a divine hand

Having tasted His goodness, mercy, loving kindness, and abundant provision

And now restlessly, faithlessly, weighed down by unsettledness

Denying the contentment that declares itself over and above me

Ignoring the peace, sacramentally spoken around and in me

Flirting with despair and resignation repeatedly 

Hoping to numb a pain in a place I cannot find

If I were a psalmist there might be resolution

If I were a martyr there might be consummation 

If I were a warrior there might be noble valor

If I were a visionary there might be hope on the horizon

But I am a lost sheep, wandering in an overgrazed field

Longing for the voice and guidance of the Good Shepherd

Remembering His words, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Wondering where His hand has led me and why

Wondering if this merry go round has an end game

Wondering if I will ever hear that voice behind me…

“This is the way; walk in it.”

"Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart sad?'
I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again --
my savior and my God!"


mark d. cooke, 11-14-17

On the Eve of Power: A Prayer

Father,

I’m supposed to preach tomorrow…about your power

The power that comes when we tarry – seeking Your face

        acknowledging our helplessness, sinfulness

            and utter inadequacy

Your Word and works declare, even shout

            this power, this spirit indwells me

    but there’s something more… “it shall come upon you”

            something from without, invading within

Changing forever the source and direction

          of what drives me

And tomorrow I stand before your precious people

Confidently confessing for all to see

            the reality, immanence and relevance

Of your power…for us today – right now

     come hell or high water

            come addiction, depression and personal failure

An overcoming power

    when my loved ones get sick and even die

    when my children stray and fall

    when the chaos of the moment

            drains out any vision for the future

    when my own flesh leads an open rebellion

         against the new creation that I’ve become in Christ

    when I’m misunderstood, misrepresented

            and even betrayed

That’s right Lord, I’m gonna stand up there

       under the mantle of man’s ordination

              vast years of my pastoral training and profession

  with what sometimes seems like – very little overcoming faith

       but loads of religious experience

       and testify to the POWER, Your power, the power of God

Divine power, creative power, resurrecting power, healing power, saving power, delivering power, transforming power, overcoming, devil-stomping, faith enhancing, limitless power!

I’ll wave my hands expressively and shout,

“It’s in me!  It’s in you!  It’s in this church!

It’s real and here right now, for any and every situation!”

Just one hitch, Jesus, I don’t feel very powerful tonight

            I have recollections of yesterday and long ago

When your power in me

            imparted transformation and faith

Somewhere in the journey…too often self-absorbed

     I stretched out my hand,

             touching a glory meant only for you

Proud, careless, foolish, naïve, immature, undisciplined

            all the above

My need for validation exposed me

            to the pressures and pulls of this world

        and Delilah cut my hair and Philistines plucked my eyes

But when I cried, “Lord, have mercy! Great is Your faithfulness!”

Your healing grace restored my sight, the joy of my salvation

             and with that my strength

So tomorrow I will without shame proclaim…

“Not by might, not by power

                  but by my Spirit, says the Lord”

And if you don’t do something, Father

            in my life, in our church, in our land

We don’t have the power…to get it done

Lord, light the fire again

            start tonight, ignite in me afresh

                    then through your presence and your power

Release in your people the passion of Pentecost

Make it so, dear God – for Jesus sake.  Amen!

02/14/98, Revised, 1/31/17  -  Mark D. Cooke