God never gives, nor did he ever give a gift, merely that [humanity] might have it and be content with it. No, all gifts which he ever gave in heaven or on earth, he gave with one sole purpose—to make one single gift: himself. With all his gifts he desires only to prepare us for the one gift, which is himself.

—Meister Eckhart (1260-1328), quoted in Sölle, The Silent Cry, p. 21.

I can tell, having read
the Introducton, the Afterword,
and a few pages of chapter 1,
that Sölle’s major work is going to be a joy.
She begins with an effort to strip mysticism
of its aura of the exclusive.
Mysticism is not for the elite few,
but for the many, for us all.
Mysticism, put simply, is
everyday Oneness with God
that the scientific mindset,
following the Enlightenment,
seeks to strip away.

No, you don’t need to be an adept
of some esoteric eastern cult,
or a psycho-spiritually gifted genius,
to walk with God.

You simply must open your heart,
open your eyes, 
to know that God is with you,
in you, outside of you,
above you, beneath you,
ahead of you, behind you,
beside you, beyond you,
in your past, in your future, and with you now.

Christ is the Man of Galilee,
who grew up there in a peasant’s home,
who learned the carpenter’s trade
from Joseph his earthly father,
who entrusted his mother
and her children his siblings
to God’s providential care,
and set out to be
an itinerant preacher-teacher-healer,
who brought wholeness and holiness,
freedom and justice,
self-acceptance and beloved community,

who challenged the principalities and powers,
the spiritual wickedness in high places
so that they nailed him to a cross
and hid his corpse in a tomb,
hoping to be rid of him;
but who spent Friday night and Saturday
in darkness,
and Sunday was raised
by the Easter power of God
which is ours
that we may leave
the I-centered zombie life behind
and walk with him in newness of life,

and one with all those
whose names are written
in the Lamb’s book of life
be raised and gathered before the throne
of God’s everlasting splendour,
where with all the saints and angels
we will forever sing,

“Holy! Holy!Holy!
Blessing and glory and wisdom and might
and power and beauty and truth
be yours,
Most High, Most lovely God,
forever and ever!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Amen!”

Thanks be to God who gives us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ!

Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
     bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
     and do not forget all his benefits.

today, Lord, praising you takes

pesticiding weeds

complaints grudges aches and pains hypodermic memories

today, Lord, praising you takes

flushing who’s-gonna-stop-me sins

and years-old-used-to-be-greenish-stinking-up-the-fridge sins

today, Lord, praising you takes

warp driving out of black holes

at the heart of my galaxy

today, Lord, praising you takes

speaking in an unknown tongue of joy

acting like you crown me

 yes! you included me, yeah! you included me; oh Lord, when you said “whosoever,” you included me!

crown us every one with steadfast love and mercy

you  satisfy us with good as long as we live

and flame-moulten phoenixes take flight new-fledged