Oriental, Persian, rag, shag, rectangular or round When the rug gets pulled out from under my feet Oh Holy Ground! Where mercy, grace, and wisdom meet. When a part of your body is hurting, don't you pay attention? Of course! With the gentlest touch and care you tend to it, sometimes asking for help, not wanting to cause further harm, giving it time to heal. My dears, a part of the Body is hurting. When that young woman
sitting in her hermitic cell in the Church of St. Julian of Norwich, England penned her words She sat in social upheaval surrounded by people full of panic and dread All assigning blame for evil. Imagine the tension wrought as two rival dynasties fought for the coveted throne Proponents of both sides bled. Black Plague for seven years brought survival of families to a halt perhaps even her own, half of her country was dead. Age thirty, in five hours of thought sixteen visions she was shown as she lie deathly sick in bed. With the 13th Showing, finally a knowing to her 14th century wondering, all centuries wonder in great suffering, Why would a God all-knowing not stop sin from rapidly growing? The Almighty had something to say through Jesus the suffering Christ who came to show the way With great tenderness flowing and no ounce of blame He spoke mighty revelation into the midst of a living hell. Words not for her alone She took up her Medieval pen for those in whom dread does dwell. Even now to our generation a banner, into the longest winter, spring, the suffering Christ to us does tell “...all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.” Who told anger “You are not welcome here” And banished her to lonely places And left him to sit by the road? It was never the One who stands at the door and knocks Or in lonely places prays Or who blinds some and gives sight to others that their roads may lead to Life. Good News needs no finessing. If a Scripture leaves you guessing And a child is left asking No need for defense-tasking. Your heart knows goodness it's an expert at fruit-tasting. Two thousand years between us, something must be missing. What might writer and audience know that you are not now knowing? Are you familiar with Gehenna, theophagy or Roman laws for pack-carrying? No? Well in Scriptures that disturb you can be treasures well worth finding. Invite your mind to start questioning Text and culture begin searching Or follow some Pharisees when Jesus they were fearing And the Son of Man they began attacking For all the laws the Prince of Peace was breaking Literal interpretations the Lamb of God was violating Language of the heart Logos was speaking And the spirit of the law Emmanuel was teaching Thus orphans, widows and other outcasts came running Is it time to start digging, start seeking and knocking? For your heart knows Euangelion needs no further explaining. |
AuthorKasey is a scarf, ball and club juggling spiritual director just outside of Nashville, TN. Play helps her Type-A, Enneagram 1 personality relax, creating space for poetry and other words to emerge. She also likes playing with theological ideas like perichoresis, and all the ways we're invited into this Triune dance. Archives
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