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”
on Easter Monday
day after Easter
Easter
Monday
and
must I give up the feeling
I understand doctrinally and for
and for an attractive metaphor
we
might
call ourselves the Easter people
meaning
more than attendance
on
the day
however that might go
and how deeply from the hear
and
do we look to the weather for comfort
and alliance
that Earth is on our side for
our
beliefs
except there was a flood
and much later
storms
on Galilee that had to be rebuked
and
stilled by one who was divine
and
human
too
we may live in Easter
now
the air of resurrection
which might be good for anyone
to breathe
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photo by Alessandro Guarino on Unsplash
Kfar Nahum National Park
“Sunset on the Sea of Galilee”
rosemary
on Easter
1
oh no
what shall I say
for it is Easter
and I don’t feel Easter
at all
I can think the stories
hear them
more
and hope that they are true
though there are images
so real
inside of me as I
so many stories
believe so many storytellers are
not wrong
and now
church is done
I am
alone
and silent as so many noises
that are inside
allow
and I’d wish for company
regardless
someone for chocolate
even
for ham
[please ungreen]
2
let Easter be a verb
I guess from a substance
a meaning
to the action
and
if I am alone and that’s a problem
for
how much to do
I could acknowledge there’s a presence
beside my own
to help
that
gave me my own
the spark
however done
and there is
faith
and love
from that source
that made
and is
still making making all
for
our collaboration in the Earth
and by the spirit
invested
in so many
things
not the source
but
sanctioned and even given us
for use
though with accountability
but back from cosmic
to just me
and am I just
that
means so many things and are they lost
in translation
idioms
truisms
first
and final meanings
in order to employ
to apply
who we are
and
what we’ve been given
though
at the moment
is
alone
and Easter resurrection
that does not happen every
year
for having happened once
and we’re the versions
ever since
not because we
save ourselves
we don’t
as
that was
you know
once provided
and so for this love
shall I love me
so shall
we love each other and each other
to keep it
healthy as
a change
thus and
so not
to have earned my loneliness
but stone rolled back
for me
too
and we’re
released
God imprisoned first
releases
us
so Easter with baskets and with paper grass
with rabbits who do not reproduce
by eggs
that are candy or
the real thing
if
striped
eccentrically
for me
let me have the silly ways
for
remembrance
and let’s have them now
in
the now
for delight
if
for forbearance
sometimes as other matters
problems
press
even the lonely state
and try to see the joy with inward
sight
as with outward longing
by
the interest and investment
realized
in
safe as well as expanding
fire
in each
from each spark
as
today
emblemizing real from the source
given
through sacrifice
as love for
you
for all
as we are served and toward our
service
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photo by Bernard Faure on Unsplash
the one
funny how we take the names
without
the origins
Christmas
Easter
today for Maundy Thursday
and then there are days whose words we know
outside
and could wonder why they’re used in here
thinking of what’s good
in
Good Friday
Maundy is the shortening of the word
that means command
not given
as
suggestion or option
though our wills must be involved
to have our ornery way
if nothing else
will and ego
some
days to think we could do without these
submit to good before the start
and use the spirit of our drive
only
in accordance
with the virtues of creation
no
falling needing or
have happened
Perelandra
while the directives were not hard
or even
new
but given by God’s child
all grown up
to people
all grown up
that you
that I
that we love each other
and
by the way
we’ve given a new rank with God
to be called friends
now
and know our faith in God this way
as a relationship with feeling
as in mind
and spirit
the mandatum
the command
mandate
to
love
and to remember we are friends
before events that follow
that are awful
not
the prayer but bleeding perspiration
intimate and earnest
lack of interest to take up the hard parts
of the world
to bear
and for which to sacrifice
one
of these
anyway
the one of us to save
the rest
beyond the human part
to God
and model perfectly what we might do in life
to
take on imperfection
as well as pardon
to try
to love that way
one savior
whom
and with so much
simple and profound
to follow
love one another
you are
my friends
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photo by Piotr Łaskawski on Unsplash
the green blade riseth
a hymn to merge the natures
divine and human
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photo by Aniket Bhattacharya on Unsplash
teachables
learnables
a week from now is Maundy Thursday
I believe
antique name made from mandatum
meaning command
because they were not suggestions Jesus gave
at the Last Supper
but
orders
ours to obey
if we’re going to follow him
the savior with indwelling spirit and creating God
three
one
God all the time
who
John 3:17
sent Jesus here not
to condemn the world but that the world
by Jesus
would be saved
we might be saved
in present
tense
the price paid
made into grace that is free for us
not because the cost was weightless
in meaning but because
God
dying is what God may do
and then once
first
victorious
over death offer eternity to us
as by that grace we may
choose
to live
if after the irony of mortal death
which doesn’t change
sigh
so on Thursday
we had a dinner at the church each year
cooked and
served
by deacons
elders
many meal volunteers
what followed then
was a service of worship with
Communion
special ‘cause it was at night
and
I don’t know even the child of me
felt the community
gathering
first
in the hall and then the mullioned
beamed and genially beaming
room
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photo by Geda Žyvatkauskaitė on Unsplash
playing favorites
in the ninth chapter
my favorite Bible story
when the parent
comes to Jesus
for
the child who needs healing
who is thrown by fits
into fire
such an extreme for healing to
which Jesus
says
believe and the child be renewed
to
which the parents
must reply
I believe
and help my unbelief
the formula presented
yet
before Jesus especially
even to doubt
but must
be honest
and the response from Jesus is
that
the child is healed
not that epileptics must be healed
though sick children
from whatever
reason
should be
and for all we are and all we aren’t
we have to open all our hopes
and fears
before the Lord
versing
my second favorite
is a cluster of
verses
from the Psalms about a third through
the verses about
creating a clean hearts
a heart that
is in me
by God
by God
in fact
to renew
as has been made
create in me a clean heart
O God
and renew a right spirit with me
and
cast me not away from they presence
and take not
thy holy spirit
from
me
again
an honest plea
for healing of the self
I guess
even to be close ‘mid all the snares
outside the circle
working in
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(for the series, from Mark 9 and Psalm 51)
photo by David Trinks on Unsplash
starting on Saint Patrick Day
for the Irish family
what if God tends to clay
atop a color wheel
smooths hard at first
in
dealing with the ground
of dust
then gestures artful and tender
giving shape
and then some drying and some glazing
even
through a fire
so tempered then
to set on Earth
for
beauty and for usefulness
beauty
in the spirit
and so inspired living
was
turned
tempered
having been crucibled
at
first
perhaps
against adulterations like those that somehow
infiltrated Eden
anyway
now
on an Earth of love
and also peril
sometimes one turned to the other
and
yet throughout the hope for
aging
maybe patina or to fall cracked
and thus required by
reconciliation
gold in the cracks in the Japanese
way
that shows the way
all a metaphor
except
the ground is real
so is God
so are we
so is the process that
repairs
and bears us home redeemed
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photo by Egor Myznik on Unsplash
and it is
And can it be that I should gain
An int'rest in the Savior's blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain?
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! how can it be
That Thou, my God, should die for me?
Charles Wesley
set
to a tune that courses
too
encouraging the soul
even through chastisement
of the Cross
ignoble death
that we
might live
beyond
and into a life renewed
even with heaven
and
with Earth
like what the waiting’s for
by heroes in
great lore
by
each as we might sleep and wait
as well
who knows what purgatory sharing
or in the rescue
the harrow should provide
amazing love
how can it be
but is
for each
and every
and
yes
every
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photo by Megan O'Hanlon on Unsplash
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