A Very Good Friday

A Very Good Friday 

It is the very first Semana Sancta with my new wife 

  such a strange phrase “my new wife” 

not being a widower, another odd expression exists 

  my first Holy Week with an ex-wife 

and on this day of reflection, remembering, mourning 

  attempting to comprehend the immeasurable suffering 

    of the Agnus Dei 

the recent, personal pilgrimage of death and resurrection 

  pales in context and comparison 

He suffered for me, you and all humanity 

  to redeem a broken, corrupt and rebellious world 

my life, my heart have certainly not been unscathed 

  by the brokenness, the corruption, the rebellion 

    in truth, they have too often marked this journey 

and yet there has ever been hope, resilience, renewal 

  if not always restoration or reconciliation 

because of this day, on a “hill far away” 

  (I have knelt on that Hill) 

  once again, I am invited to begin again 

to recalibrate my heart and life to a Kingdom 

  not of this world 

to venerate the sacred means of a once for all sacrifice 

  to meditate on the Via Dolorosa 

the stations, the agony, the pain, the obedience 

  the love 

to join with the great cloud of witnesses of all ages 

the Church militant, the Church penitent 

  the Church triumphant, the pilgrim Church 

the Church – that great mystery of God

  hidden from all ages past, until 

until this day, this Holy Week, this weekend 

  His triumphal entry, His last days, His Last Supper 

  His betrayal, His Gethsemane, His arrest 

  His trial, His beating, His suffering, His Cross 

  His death, His burial, His glorious resurrection 

and now two thousand years later, miles away 

  cultures away, generations away 

midst a divided, broken Church 

  a broken, divided world with broken, divided lives 

this Day above all others declares, “It is finished!” 

  the earth quakes, chains fall, lies are shattered 

and Hope proclaims that brokenness is never permanent 

  divisions of heart and home may be healed 

still, there remains a space between 

  between suffering and resurrection, death and life 

Today is a very Good Friday 

  where we are all called to humbly remember 

Tomorrow, Holy Saturday 

  demands stillness, reflection, waiting, anticipation 

for the Son of Righteousness is about to rise 

  with healing in His wings. 

3-29-24, mark d. cooke

Please Forgive Me

 

Please Forgive Me

 

For every time my response was a harsh word

   rather than showing Christ-like kindness

     please forgive me

For when I acted with self-centeredness

   rather than displaying Christ-like sacrifice

     please forgive me

For all the answers coming from frustration

   rather than having Christ-like patience

      please forgive me

For every moment of insensitivity

   rather than seeking Christ-like understanding

      please forgive me

For whenever I wanted my needs met

    rather than offering Christ-like compassion

       please forgive me

For when I met your brokenness with anger

    rather than giving Christ-like grace

       please forgive me

For every time your heartache hardened me

    rather than having Christ-like mercy

       please forgive me

For all the times I failed to be who you needed

    rather than being a Christ-like companion

       please forgive me

For when disappointment closed my heart

    rather than opening to Christ-like love

       please forgive me

 

“There is a friend that sticks closer than a brother.”

 

mark d. cooke, 3-31-23

 

 

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)