God's mercy is the ultimate goodness

Writing takes patience. One of the reasons I haven't been writing more is that I lack the required patience. God knows I haven't run out of things to say. I gave up trying to comment on current affairs a number of years ago, just as I gave up trying to post something everyday. Frankly, in this age of so-called "new media" we have plenty of pundits.

For the past few years I have mostly focused on posting a Friday traditio and a reflection on the Sunday readings. Here and there I'll post other insights. This morning I was thinking about what I might post today. I wanted to post something on this last Friday of October. Again, I have no shortage of thoughts religious, political, philosophical, relational about which I could write. It's having the patience and time to flesh them out into something coherent and perhaps even meaningful to someone apart from myself.

Musically I have been on a contemporary Christian music jag. Mostly this consists of listening to artists and songs from my early days as a Christian. There are four primary artists whose work I love: Michael Card, Amy Grant, Rich Mullins, and Phil Keaggy. I will also cop to liking Michael W. Smith, Casting Crowns, Mercy Me, Third Day and a number of others. Among younger artists I really like Lauren Daigle, with whose music I am just now becoming familiar.

Hopefully, it's a case of looking forward by looking behind- one step back and two forward- and not just a sentimental journey.

There is one artist whose recent work I find myself listening to time and again: Greg LaFollette. Particularly his album Songs of Common Prayer, which is a contemporary take on parts of the liturgy from the Book of Common Prayer. Since today is Friday and I endeavor, in my weakness, to observe Friday in the traditional way, as a day of penance, it seems fitting to have LaFollette's "We Cry Mercy" as our Friday traditio:

Invoking God's mercy, God's lovingkindness, God's hesed is not an act of lament but one of gratitude and celebration. I came across this prayer yesterday, I leave you with it:

May the God of all forgiveness
free you this day
and enable you
to freely forgive others
in the name of the Father,
the Son, and the Holy Spirit
Amen.