incumbent
pray
‘cause prayer is good
not because
it’s perfect
but
typically it’s good for us
we think more of the world
in an asking way
so
have perspective
and
we care
though
pray for enemies as well
at
least we may
God will approve
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photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash
those three doctrinal things
what is for everyone today
hope
except by those who will not hope
not believe or have
enough
it seems not
toward wanting more
yet
wanting
more
faith
to believe in us
and in the world enough
if only inimically and
so
the spirit more with heaven as an element
maybe an application until
the spirit
obvious everywhere
and like the poles
should
peace prevail
then go to love
and what
shall
love be if not reliable like seasons
except
to be founding and producing
all the time
what does better
and
reliably
so we might rely and not
have to create our loves
and re-create
all
the time
but depend
and so have a fullness
in
independence
hope has wings
then
while faith has raiment
so
love has
the halo for sanctity
and
could be worldly important
though it’s also ordinary
and to
elevate the
ordinary
so that
even
if the land is occupied
we must hold the love and
so resist
even repel
siege
holders
until the enemy goes back to a phantom place
to plan some
more
while we keep to
and live of our own
until
the world change and we have
with everyone
if
not equally
but all
the time
in
love
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1 Corinthians 13:13 (World English Bible)
“These three things will remain for ever. They are faith, hope, and love. And love is the greatest of them.”
[yeah, I wrote about hope first]
Enemy-occupied territory--that is what this world is. Christianity is the story of how the rightful king has landed, you might say landed in disguise, and is calling us to take part in a great campaign of sabotage.
C.S. Lewis
Mere Christianity
discretion
a prayer
1
I’m not sure what
to say
what would you like to hear
what
would be good
what would be loving
I wish I were an expert
in
what I am unsure
theology
perhaps
mathematics of the mind
or
of philosophy
if I knew church law
or
could know business far better
than I do and the business of
two people
God
human
spirit
and through all
too much for one
as the world is excessive for
one person
and yet I don’t understand
the two
much less the three
in one
with one of me
too much
I know too little
2
yet who
receives faith but anyone
and
faith must go this way
neither trick
nor contest
but acceptance
and
decision
yet even those who cannot choose
might be as
saved as any other
so there should be hope
well
all around
and I might know you
too
at least enough
to pray
and live in a bit of expectation
of some health
some peace
at last
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photo by Brendan Church on Unsplash
the trumpet call
prompted by “Subway Music”
and why not in New York
the biggest place
and
a small place
beneath
an open space near
a train
and if hell should be at all down there
maybe
the near trumpet call
will harrow hell
then
rise
to be heard by the rest
with all of us or
each of us
or in loving partnerships or groups
decide for faith
as if no one would not
and yet some
might not
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. . . 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
1 Corinthians 15
photo by Ryan Loughlin on Unsplash
Subway Music
Manhattan, New York
a local creed
pretty complicated
but it isn’t
God creates
out of
love
so much so we say that God is love
everything was made and we
were made
well
and then we fell
and the closeness we might have with God
fell
too
and so we live
God with us and God loving us
even
perfectly
and maybe part of the mischief is that God is at reach
but not physically clearly in the room
because
the company of perfection
is
too much
and breeds contempt
through dissociation
and so
how to come to faith
that way
but through fallenness or devil’s guile or other reason
we are on our own to
come to God
to believe
for life
as we live
life now
and
for life
forever
about which we’ve been told
and yet so much more
if
to our skeptical rue for now
but
to discover then
so
how to believe
believe
free to us
cost having been paid
which
is
a story and it’s true
yet
from us
nothing more to exchange
but
faith
for God
to start
which to think on it
maybe not think
on
it so
well
is a great deal
of ours
to give
if
God to receive
in all this
also
we might have an answer to the question of
what matters
because by love as well as reason
of faith
what
matters
is all
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photo by uve sanchez on Unsplash
to offer to go through it
and how much does the mood affect the day
and it’s the other
way
around
how much the day affects the mood
we wake into something
after all
the attitude
the realities we carry
then
come new hours and could be restful
though we’ll apply
our contemporary value of
busyness
to show our worth and get our pay
could
be another day
that might require countercultural
even
a resistance
one by one and could be
a movement
call
it faith
or church
to grow
that creation is profit enough
Blake’s energy as
eternal
delight
electric belief through spirit
with believe in what and who is made
and
consider smallest with
the occasional huge
way to love
as God is love
and
yes
there are the hard parts
the world sometimes is not only vain but
tries what it decides
must be
the time to kill
another’s
spirit
take a life
call the war a victory costing many
for the few
much
for a little
same time to raise
sacrifice
as
service
for the soldier
for
the parent
and the children all around
as all are children
in
a learning state
and so inexorably to grow and change
if
not stopped
short
and transfer students go
to God
but here for us here
we
make our choices
study maybe and instinctively
apply
speed citations
fearsome courts
war crimes
loneliness
failure
even to breathe less
so to have yet
want
to have
and having’s good
it’s the bending to change into
unrecognizable
except
as
satiation
even though God invented pleasure
and offers joy
and
yes
by faith
that’s all
well
not all
but believe in God and live by love
understanding and applying
that
love is practical
and strong
and makes mistakes
and can open to repentance and
to making up
with
everyone
involved
which might lift prayer
as a resource when something’s unreachable
and
yet some repair
required
somehow
which is love
too
strong and practical
available at no cost
whomever
on Earth might say there’s cost
beyond
grace provided everywhere
and
always
and our own will and energy invested
God is love
we should believe
and try love
too
there
that’s it or enough for now
for
now
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[all the nows counting and piling toward eternity]
“Energy is eternal delight.” Attributed aphorism (if not axiom), William Blake.
photo by mauro mora on Unsplash
Santiago, Chile
plain or fancy
what did he
say
and this is so
the Bible says that Jesus loves us
when we’re weak
so
he is
strong
always weak
always
strong
everyone seems called to both
weak to
hear
strong to act
call weak gentle or easy
or
withholding
openness to listen
and
to heed what he should say
we have the story
and the help of spirit
and
of angels
strong to act while strong is faith
and
otherwise
to
take great care
for anger destroys
and
pride
as vanity shall fall
every time
with
consequences to learn
if not yet
experienced directly
and that is plain
I hope
for me to learn
for you to be loved by God
and Jesus and the
Spirit
loved by God and in that book
find it affirmed
and
by our instinct as we grow with God
by Jesus
and the Spirit
and by the Bible
and with each other
as
we’re faithful
and even when
we fall
the love’s not over
anymore than faith or hope
though love’s
the
quality and entity
the strength
the practicality
that
remains
the theologian was asked
and
responded
Jesus loves me
this
I know
for the Bible tells me so
may it go so simple
and
so strong
if not perfectly not yet
by us
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the song “Jesus Loves Me” was written by Anna Bartlett Warner, published in 1859 (the line breaks above were by me)
the theologian in question, at least so goes the story, is Martin Marty, asked to sum up his theology, responding with the beginning of the hymn
photo by Lauren Mitchell on Unsplash
I hope the other side of the shirts says “The Now”
by the Merton prayer
I’m sorry
I still
don’t know what
to do
at least Merton when he confessed in prayer
was
somewhere where he struggled
yet
three squares and community
and not in jail
but in a place enclosing faith so it might
expand
by life and learning
as two gospel causes
in
the contending world
and
I want some peer-feeling
too
if a guess that it is good to be here
knowing there are others if
only for presence
even
guessed at
and that we’re praying for each other
more so for the world
all
the time
rule the nation by prayer
as mocked in the play
and
yet self-fule and group-rule founds
the way
after will and training or
simply kneel to
ask
about whatever’s happening and
may your will
be done and mine
by yours
so sigh
yes
I’d like a group for this
and closer in
I’d like to know what would please you
by me
and then me to be it
and to do it
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Thomas Merton’s prayer that begins
“My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end.
. . .”
the comment about ruling by prayer is in A Man for All Seasons
photo by Alessandro Guarino on Unsplash
"Silhouettes at the Edge of the Sea"
Strangers pause on a whitewashed platform jutting into the Mediterranean as the last light of day bleeds orange across the horizon. A quiet moment between people and the infinite — somewhere along the Ligurian coast, Italy.
Nervi, Genoa, Metropolitan City of Genoa, Italy
the hard and easy life
yet
God is not a spoilsport
as Liddell
says
if only in the movie
God likes
say
and when celebrates in muscle
and in mind
and in
fair conviction
soccer
the world’s game
Rook
the card game Southerners allow
the pleasures in a holiday
the love
we bear each other
God is the god of pleasure as well
as meaning
and simply pleasure to own
as
a creation and
pursuit
some
might say incidental or
byproduct
but
we know who created fun
and
yes
the good clean kind
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(line from Chariots of Fire)
photo by Alexander Grey on Unsplash
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