our books of hours
God is love
and is it
tiring
and is
the rock of faith
for
metaphor
the lion
first of Judah
and shall we believe what the figures
shall be pointing
toward
as we consider openly
without agenda first
‘til
we go there to find
what might
be our purpose in our tasks
that is
fair and openly
which is a matter of the mind and for a metaphor
the heart
though we accept the source
and
then the spirit
that is an entity and real
pointing
only toward creator
who
is the love
somehow
for
real
and this dance
then
between the thing and its referral
which is the contest
of
a poem
and what the poem itself might indicate
which
is what
to know and to accept and then
to embrace
for faith
and life
and through that all the rest
in a holy now
and in the holy hours
to come
c l couch
photo by Şahin Sezer Dinçer on Unsplash
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
c l couch
photo by Brendan Church on Unsplash
first through last message
I don’t know what
to say to you
today
which I know I say many times
at least
to me
but I don’t
I could speak of a-gap-e
the kind of love
that has no terms except to manifest
itself
the kind that comes from God
as all that’s good has come
from God
while evil is allowed
for now
and agape ruins that agenda if it seems
that evil wins for now
since
that is the illusion
that what is bad is victorious
and lasting
which is
regardless
how I feel sometimes
and maybe you do
too
from time to time
but what is bad will not persist
and what is love continues
to be chosen
as
it’s always available
as it’s in us
and as we decide
not only dwells but gets out
rather well
sometimes in surprise
always
in small wonder
if
sussed
yet it’s real and even ordinary
that is
to the loving
maybe is confounding to the wrong
who are loved
anyway
and
wrong’s agenda
which we may not love
so much
but
by praying for confiners
when
confined
who is confined
as far as victory might have to be
concerned
then
love wins
c l couch
photo by Vanna Phon on Unsplash
leavetaking
God
be with us
‘til we meet
again
and there is more to say
but what we mean
we know
in asking the creator to be with us
to be with you
from
whom I’m parting
that safety go with you
and
in your better aims
success
and I guess for me as well
that I should
keep the faith
with which
I’m asking
to be present
suffuse in
our
relationship
c l couch
(“God be with you” appears in Scripture, in fact of various traditions, and is the first line of a Christian hymn; “God be with us” is the meaning of Immanuel)
photo by Sebastian Enrique on Unsplash
waking again
God
be with me today
Immanuel
and owning all the other names we give
though
it’s your presence
bold to ask for
not
really knowing with theology
or
religious fear
what I am asking and most of all
of whom
c l couch
photo by Dan Meyers on Unsplash
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
c l couch
photo by uve sanchez on Unsplash
common book of prayer
God
forgive me
and help me
and is this so bad
a prayer
not
to utter most days
to start
or sometime throughout
it’s my
common prayer
as if I kept a common book
from which
I read
depending on the hours
it’s presuming
I suppose
if
asking
belief that God will forgive
and
God will help
and maybe the two-step isn’t needed
since
God might help me
anyway
not waiting for even personally determined
forms of doctrine
for
the hours
c l couch
photo by kevin turcios on Unsplash
“Ain’t no love in the heart of the city.”
San Francisco (USA)
the drama
we are born of the Earth
breathed through
with
divine exhalation
we rise
one and then the other
we are introduced and given tasks
care for the
garden
name things or else we did that
on our own
but meet with God
all the time
and live the spirit in the mean time
and somehow Satan or
the devil
or whatever you might call it
was
allowed in and allowed a role
maybe for the first
time
this was the start of the revellion
the devil trusted
as archangel
only for
a little while
longer and what damage it could
do before caught out
and such ruination happened
it seems we blamed each other more
than the writhing thing
though
the demon part in our exitence
should carry on and taken
through to the midst of Armageddon
when
as prophecy decided
and yet played out
there is a final battle between
Michael and
itself
when it is thrown for good
out of sight
only to dwell in God’s mind over lost
creation
and lost love
while our redemption is at hand
to do our part
believe
accept the grace of mercy
as
a fitness for heaven
and
the Earth renewed
who knows
maybe for us
to have the home we’ve had as
the home that was made
except
for evil’s and
for will’s intrusion following
the evil
as well as inventing our own
now
the Earth anew
as on another world the ideal might be
ancient
but now for us and for all the days
succeeding
move forward with everything that’s good we have
and
love our lives in every way
each other and by mercy
means of grace
return to the communion that was the way
even the style
of Eden
c l couch
photo by Boudhayan Bardhan on Unsplash
final question
what shall we say
briefly
of salvation
that it’s for everyone
everyone
as
John 3:17 affirms in an impressive
way
not Christians alone
and
Christians might not make it
There being no carte blanche
no
market cornered on salvation with us
any more than
saving grace
is ours to give
because
it isn’t
done and given by God
alone
and to whomever
feeling preachy
‘cause it’s
Sunday
I suppose
I mean it is
Sunday
no suppose that and what might
explain my pedantry on
spiritual matters other days
but
well
it is
and shall I say then
if
spiritual that
God loves you
and
however I might do badly or well
I love you
c l couch
photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash
“Heart in the Woods”
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