Hearing voices, gazing into the heavens, Grasping hopes beyond reality,
Kissing lips that laugh at possibilities,
Walking paths that smoke, smolder and bleed,
Embracing alternatives, making love out of fear,
Feeding visitors, entertaining angels unawares...
Encountering the future in the present,
And making deals with sovereignty,
Hoping your hand is the better deal.
Putting a knife to your deepest loves,
Obeying more than receiving,
Giving all...without a hesitation.
Leaving your home...for the unknown,
Living day to day in transition...just walking.
Seeing the crying of promise, the tears of hope,
The trembling joy of mystery.
Burying it all in the tomb of finiteness...with old hands but a young heart.
This is faith.
(1.09.09 Eric Blauer)
As part of my new year goals, I've started reading "The Book of God" by Walter Wangerin, Jr. as a devotional tool for my own spiritual life and I think I am going to use it with my family too. It's the Bible written as novel, so the "story" comes through more than a study of the bible. I long to understand the truths of the word of God within the context of the story of the Word of God. Our culture loves stories but rarely endures lectures. I desire to be a better storyteller this year. This poem came out of my time in the story of Abraham. I often take the written word and after it has "spoken" to me, I re-speak it in prayer, song, prose or poetry...and some of these moments find their way into proclamation.
But the best stuff is reserved for God, angels and devils....the first cut into the orange, its the freshest...and the first bite, the juiciest.
3 comments:
Great prayer - poem. Loved it.
Dad
Amen! I love it, too. Such variety in the world. I do believe our God has fun finding new ways to express Himself. :)
btw, I think the picture (by one of my very favorite artists of ALL TIME, Ron Dicianni) is of the guy in the temple who had waited his whole life to see the Messiah, and the baby in his arms is Christ. I'm sure you knew that, but just in case anyone else saw the picture and liked it, and is reading comments back this far, now they can know who painted it. :)
Thanks for pointing that artist info out, I did know that but forgot to add the credit. I am trying to be better at that. I felt it the perfect pic that captures the Abrahamic moment, which in reality to a shadow of the Christ child moment anyway.
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