baptism

Baptism © Josh Cooper 2010

Into the waters;
Through the divide;
Death to the old self;
Raised to new life;
United to Jesus Christ

Through the divide;
Sin is washed away
In the name of the Father,
Son,
and Holy Spirit.

Through the divide;
No longer are you yours
But “You are mine,”
says the LORD.

Stamped with a seal;
And clothed in Christ;
A signpost pointing the way,
Of the consummate Kingdom
reign.

earth day

In honor of Earth Day, I offer you a poem from Wendell Berry entitled The Clearing Rests in Song and Shade.

The clearing rests in song and shade.
It is a creature made
By old light held in soil and leaf,
By human joy and grief,
By human work,
Fidelity of sight and stroke,
By rain, by water on
The parent stone.

We join our work to Heaven's gift,
Our hope to what is left,
That field and woods at last agree
In an economy
Of widest worth.
High Heaven's Kingdom come on earth.
Imagine Paradise.
O dust, arise!

~Wendell Berry, from A Timbered Choir: The Sabbath Poems. 1999.

time out

Two bored children,
inquisitive minds,
carefree escapades,
household havoc.
My biblical meditation assaulted.
My concentration distracted.
My spirituality fractured.
My carnal naure stirred.

I rose up,
captured my "space invaders."
We rumbled, raced around a park,
swings...sodas...

We walked back home,
hand in hand.
I worshiped God today
as the four of us played.

Wife under pressure,
frazzled beyond measure.
I'm weary and stressed.
Mutual consternation.
Emotional frustration.
Dangerous combination.

We rose up,
canceled weekend business,
left the house mess.
Picnic on the beach.
Lips within reach.
Love refreshed,
heart in heart.

We worshiped God today
as the three of us played.

~R.N. and Mary Hawkins

a little poetry

One Flesh by Cheryl Norwood

You hold me so close,
my chin pressed to your chest.
Is that your heart's rhythm
or mine?
One Flesh.

Your smile immediately, spontaneously
leaps onto my face.
I can't even fight it when I'm angry with you.
One Flesh.

Sad news assaults.
Your tears well up.
Yet they fall from my eyes.
Your pain.
My pain.
Our pain.
One Flesh.

Sitting in church,
worshiping together.
One.
A melodious instrument.
A joyful noise.
You softly kiss my forehead during prayer.
One Flesh.

Dancing together
in shoeless feet to soundless music.
A celebration of nothing,
but of everything we are.
A kitchen dance
for no special reason...
just because.
One Flesh.

Together forever,
no thoughts of escape
from this lovers' bond.
So grateful God picked me
to become part of "us."
One Flesh.

Those Steeped in Scripture are Radical!

These are the lyrics to a wonderful chapel service I participated in this morning lead by John Bell of Iona Community.

Firstborn of Mary, provocative preacher,
itinerant teacher, outsider's choice;
Jesus inspires and disarms and confuses
whoever he choses to hear his voice.

Firstborn of Mary
1998, Iona Community