Where the Spiritual Filling Came From

It's Morning, Jesus
And last night they praised you
after they served you
in memory of your provisions
rejoicing in their victories
the victories of paint brushes
the conquests of ladders
the arrival of school supplies
they got out of their space
and off of myspace
and into yourspace
and touched the pain of others-space
and saw and found you all over the place.
Forbid it Lord, that this morning,
I should confuse my peace, my quiet, my meditation
and my personal desire to know the uplift of prayer like a cup of coffee...
Forbid it that I should confuse all of this with Your real presence
in a suffering world
For when I read your story all over again, Lord
You were with your disciples most powerfully
when they were overwhelmed with needs they could not meet
Your spiritual filling did not come in meditative posture
Your spiritual filling was not reduced to giving them a morning rush of peace and quiet
Your spiritual filling came in grave yards and in hot valleys and in crowded, messed up places that you dared to take your disciples and to which they later dared to go.
And your spiritual filling upon our youth came in an old, run down building with 18 foot heat filled ceiling.
Your spiritual filling came when they dared to look into the eyes of an abused woman and believe they could make a difference
Your spiritual filling came when they smelled the urine soaked stains on the wooden floors and declared this would not be
Your spiritual filling came when their salty sweat rolled off their faces into their paint brushes
Your spiritual filling came when they asked God for help with an air-conditioning stand and you showed up
Your spiritual filling came not when they poured another cup of coffee, or coke, but when they poured out themselves in ministry for the seemingly impossible task of helping someone else.
And so, they praised you, Lord
They praised you last night
Not for a feeling
Not for a pesonal uplift
Not to whip up an emotion
They praised you out of the emotion of service touched by a saviour
out of sacrifice blessed by your touch
out of selflessness emptied of all self and filled with you
They served and sacrificed
for four hot mornings
four sweltering days.
Why was their laughter greater than in their air-conditioned homes?

I will get off this porch this morning, Lord
I will go to the hurt places of the world
Where only you can provide
I will dare to get out of my comfortable life
and look into the eyes of someone I cannot possibly help
and trust your all-possible, all-providing love.
I will praise you.
Amen