God takes care of the flowers

It is Christ Jesus who died, rather, was raised,

who also is at the right hand of God,

who indeed intercedes for us.

What will separate us from the love of Christ?

Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine,

or nakedness, or peril, or the sword?

Will economic crises, or the sex abuse scandal, or the TEA Party,

or overwhelming federal deficits, or the cold-hearted budget cutting in Washington,

or hurricanes, earthquakes and tsunamis, or threats of terrorism?

As it is written:

For your sake we are being slain all the day;

we are looked upon as sheep to be slaughtered.

Why? Because we stand up for kingdom values

over against greed and self-seeking. Because we defer to the

common good and go beyond personal gain, exploitation,

and self-interest.

Because we profess your Name, at which every knee shall bow.

Because we live by your values—peace, justice,

love, mercy, compassion and forgiveness.

No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly

through him who loved us. God takes care of the birds

of the air and the flowers of the field and the withering grass.

We swim daily in the currents of Trinitarian Love outpoured

in the cosmos and in our hearts.

God alone takes care of us.

Because of this care I am convinced that neither death, nor life,

nor angels, nor principalities,

nor present things, nor future things,

nor powers, nor height, nor depth,

nor any other creature will be able to separate us

from the love of God incarnate in us in Christ Jesus our Lord.