Do you want to your faith to matter? Matter both to you and to the world? Do you want your life to be full, meaningful, deep, resonant, beautiful, everlasting?

I asked this in my Jan. 27 sermon. I said that to answer those questions in the affirmative means making Jesus’ way our home. What is Jesus’ way? He declared it himself in his first public speech according to Luke’s Gospel. Reading from Isaiah 61 (though interpreting it to best reflect the Way he embodied), Jesus said:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed to free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. – Luke 4:18-19

Want your faith to matter and your life to be everlasting? Then make this way of Jesus your home. Take Jesus mission statement, his thesis, this synopsis of his life’s purpose and work, take this and make it your mission statement, your thesis. Make it your life’s purpose.

That day I shared a poem written in response to that scripture. I often find I’m too dense to get most poetry, but this is too beautiful not to share.

A Prophet’s Blessing by Jan L. Richardson
This blessing finds its way behind the bars.

This blessing works its way beneath the chains.

This blessing knows its way through a broken heart.

This blessing makes a way where there is none.

Where there is no light, this blessing.

Where there is no hope, this blessing.

Where there is no peace, this blessing.

Where there is nothing left, this blessing.

In the presence of hate.

In the absence of love.

In the torment of pain.

In the grip of fear.

To the one in need.

To the one in the cell.

To the one in the dark.

To the one in despair.

Let this blessing come as bread.

Let this blessing come as release.

Let this blessing come as sight.

Let this blessing come as freedom.

Let this blessing come.

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May this blessing, this way of abundant, meaningful, everlasting life – this home – spring forth into life in and through me, in and through you, in and through us.