in the end - a new beginning

For last year's words belong to last year's language
And next year's words await another voice.
And to make an end is to make a beginning.
~T.S. Eliot

a murder beheld

wordcraft for the feast of st. thomas á becket:

wounded head yet heart withheld
such gruesome blows, knights hand upheld
Thomas á Becket, a murder beheld
Canterbury’s son betrayed and felled

a life they sought to extinguish and quelle
yet beloved martyr did they propel
marked by history and grace doth knell
Thomas á Becket, archbishop excelled

day of the wren

wordcraft for the feast of st. stephen:


a-hunting, a-hunting, what a day to begin
clouds tell us where can we find the great wren?
fleeing his catch the betraying bird shudders
O how to escape the celebration of mummers?

they hunt me for treachery not of my own
they hunt me, O why can’t they leave me alone?
the wild-eyed strawboys a-hunting the wren
garish colours of scarecrows their gaze turns within

how blind can you be to your own treachery?
given over as they are to innermost lechery
yet continue they do as always they will
pursue me with violence that can by no means fill

he who was martyred by an intimate betrayal
the celebration of new bread dipped in a grail
the wrenboys mourn for poor saint stephen
still hunting the wren like all the other heathen

just like our man judas who died in trespass
the kiss of betrayal, his blood in the grass
festive parade for my death – O how are they lost
how far have they wandered away from the cross

chasing me still they all flutter by
can they help but be captured in tradition but why?
why do they hunt me, hateful words do they utter
and how it began with this weary mutter:

‘the wren, the wren – the king of all birds
on staint stephens day was caught in the furze
up with the kettle and down with the pan
give us some money to bury the wren’

if I yield to their catch O what will they do
can they kill me and remain blind to virtue
I call to the ground and my God in the sky
witness my death yet forgive them thereby

and rain on my funeral O God in the sky
please make it a mess, don’t let them get by
with hunting and killing for Your Name sake
open their eyes that they see their mistake

take them back to remember years ago on a tree
Your very Son suffered and died even for me
for all of creation does groan with the weight
for the curse to be lifted when Your Kingdom dilates

then the wrenboys and I can at last end our feud
and sit down in laughter to lighten the mood
at Your great wedding feast for many to attend
the wren and the mummers at last to be friends

come forth fresh

resting Son
of the Ancient One

come forth fresh
from chosen flesh

beyond our imagination
is He, the Incarnation

Life turned toward
a people adored

enmeshed in our circumstance
threshed in His glorious dance

with Love does He chase
until eternity to embrace

all bundled in this cloth
this newborn doth

hold the future and past
light and fire to cast

upon a people hallow
sitting in dark shadow

hoping for this very One
and a curse to be undone

wreathed in flesh

"A novice master once responded when asked about a life lived in Christian authenticity, said that to be a Christian was not to know the answers but to begin to live in the part of the self where the question is born..He was speaking of an attitude of listening, of awareness of presence, of an openness to mystery."

- Wendy M. Wright

DaySpring

wordcraft for advent:

when the day springs early
and darkness is eclipsed;

there is a moment of eternity
at the edge of daybreak
at the point where light peals back the thick darkness
[seeking to linger in silhouette]

i wait amidst the flecks of first light mingled with shadows
witness the march of radiance stalking persistent gloom

as the cresting wave of brilliance splashes over the horizon,
aglow…faint memories of a rumour intersect

[mercy cascades from upon the summit
with the hush of avalanche
compassion visits iniquity
threatening darkness trampled in the encompassing surge]

as the DaySpring shines forth wielding light upon those sitting in darkness
[in the shadow of death]

O, come forth DaySpring…shine Thy radiant splendor

turbulence

the Son

heating the earth’s crust

warm air rising…

…the Kingdom bounding forth

in the course of a journey of courage and fear
[sunrise and twilight]

…shaking my reality

so that I know there is something beyond all this
[a resonance rising in the midst of renovation]

sky above

Your vastness
…does the sky above

speak of

it spreads its speech
like a rumour
in the recesses
of this dark, fertile earth
the Wholly Other One
renown

yet like the sky
i cannot fully see
nor comprehend You
but i know
because You make Yourself
known

psalm for the bay

by the rivers of the Chesapeake
we sat and wept
as we thought of Thy Kingdom Come
Thy Will Be Done

the polluters ask us to sing songs of joy
blessed as they are in their many profits
yet erosion has taken our joy
and grief – like pollution in the watershed - has swept over us

how can we sing a song of YHWH amidst such loss?
restore the fortunes of all - O my God
redeem the earth and those that dwell upon her
and let the joy of Your Way be walked

introducing embertide

...four times a year, the Church sets aside three days to focus on God through His marvelous creation. these quarterly periods take place around the beginnings of the four natural seasons.

these four times are each kept on a successive wednesday, friday, and saturday and are known as "Ember Days," or "Quatuor Tempora", in Latin.

• the first of these four times comes in winter, after the feast of st. lucy (in december);
• the second comes in spring, the week after ash wednesday; the third comes in summer, after pentecost sunday;
• and the last comes in autumn, after holy cross day.

these times are spent fasting and/or partially abstaining with the intention of thanking God for the gifts He gives us in nature/creation and beseeching Him for the wisdom and discipline to use them wisely and in good stewardship....after the command to be fruitful and multipy, stewardship of the earth is also one of the first trusts and responsibilities given to earthlings by God. in our day and age of rampant abuse and mis-use of the earth and its rich resources, embertide should prick our hearts anew for taking care of the environment; as our friends in Boise say: the environment...God's creation...our responsibility.

to that end this wednesday, friday and saturday we will have wordcraft dedicated to God and His marvelous creation.

in terms of resources for 'doin'-the-stuff':

• check out the boise vineyard's website 'let's tend the garden'
• check out green vineyard ministry at the ann arbor vineyard
• check out the first chapter of tri robinsons' book: Saving God's Green Earth
• check out our friend peter illyn from restoring eden and tri robinson and their talks on the environment

invasion of love

wordcraft for advent:

heavens’ heart descends
a King in swaddling clothes
invasion of Love

refusing violent greed - comments on advent reading

walter brueggemann’s observations on the first set of advent readings, from Sojourners:

Zephaniah 3:14-20; Isaiah 12:2-6; Philippians 4:4-7; Luke 3:7-18

Advent is rooted in Israel's deep hope, here voiced by Zephaniah. In time to come, God will be allied with the lame, and the outcasts will be gathered home to well-being. The prophet anticipates a time to come that will be completely contrasted to the present, wherein the disabled are rejected and the outcasts are forever displaced persons, and oppression is the normal order of the day-so routine we do not notice.

The folk who heard John the Baptizer had a tough decision to make. They could easily collude with the dominant system of exploitation that features Tiberius, Pilate, Herod, Philip, Lysanius, Annas, and Caiaphus (Luke 3:1-2). The narrative names the entire power structure of the military-industrial-financial-ecclesial system of exploitation that was impressive and all-powerful. The news from John, then and now, is that we do not need to collude, need not count on pedigree or entitlements. What counts is deliberate, concrete, countercultural action. John offers three examples of such actions that are against collusion; they concern coats, taxation, and extortion. Such actions refuse the world of violent greed defined by subprime loans, foreclosures, and "market reform."

Paul, echoing the "do not fear" of Zephaniah, knows that those driven by anxiety will collude. Those without fear and worry are free for the alternative (Philippians 4:6). Imagine-in Christmas "the Lord is near." The Christ-child is the God-given antidote to colluding anxiety.

advent...waiting, hoping

"A prison cell, in which one waits, hopes... and is completely dependent on the fact that the door of freedom has to be opened from the outside, is not a bad picture of Advent."
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer

advent examination

"Advent is the perfect time to clear and prepare the Way. Advent is a winter training camp for those who desire peace. By reflection and prayer, by reading and meditation, we can make our hearts a place where a blessing of peace would desire to abide and where the birth of the Prince of Peace might take place."

- Edward Hays

the invasion of the incarnation

as a humble maiden prepares for birth
across the countryside of this fertile earth
an astonishing miracle of countless worth
abiding prince of peace will ascend and come forth

bothering not to tend their grazing sheep
but instead to inquire among those asleep
basking in the beauty of angelic glory deep
before the newborn King the shepherds kneel and weep

catching a glimpse of hope in these shepherds eyes
catastrophe for the evil kingdom does arise
careful was the Creators plan devised
crushing evil while dark dominions capsize

desolate God’s people will not remain
determined in devotion with His generous Reign
delighted to be free and released from chains
domain of His kingdom does Jesus explain

eternal are the repercussions of this infinite invasion
echoing will be His expressions spoken with persuasion
essence of His being does He extend without hesitation
endless and exquisite are the redeeming ramifications

fearful are the fallen beings before their fate and time
fretting over One who knows well their crime
found to be fostering hateful ways in a lifetime
feasting on the fetid fear they stir up in their pastime

gruesome and unholy is their intention known
great before Him is their grisly moan
ghastly is the noise of their blood-curdling sound
‘go forth’ echoes in deliverance for those unbound

heaven has happened and upon us did it alight
hands of mercy are His with such foresight
hearts handcrafted anew from a deep dark blight
horizon now shining in our renewed and hallowed eyesight

illustrious is His coming in this eternal yet humble invasion
insistent is our God with merciful redemption
inciting us to see His fullness in meek incarnation
in the arms of a mother this Newborn delivers liberation

just as God planned it from time eternal
judging His scheme would release the shackle
jewel of His eye will He restore from the trouble
joy in the rescue over an enemy scornful

kindness He offers and with us to abide
carried by His Love He joins us to His side
key to His mystery in Christ to confide
kiss of the Lover of our souls for His Bride

labour He does in His Strength ageless
loving and living is our Lord’s faithfulness
lasting shall be His Presence with us
lonely no more as we are filled with lavish lushness

mourning turns to dancing on a massive scale
mortal-to-immortal is the metamorphosis unveiled
moreover menacing malice shall be impaled
message on our lips of a hope that shall prevail

nevertheless in a now-and-not-yet age we yet walk
needing His covering shield of faith to block
knocking down the narrow arrows aimed at His flock
knowing we reside in this Messiah of bedrock

oneness with our God shall we know and taste
outside-in, inside-out and face-to-face
object we are of His loving embrace
our transgressions through His mercy erased

pillaged is our dread enemy’s palace of shame
place of darkness invaded as Saviour reclaims
pursued and stirred until our hearts are enflamed
plucked from treadmill in this den of iniquity game

quickly come is His Kingdom Presence
quiet and calmed before Him in silent reverence
quarrelsome no more under His gracious countenance
quenched by this curiously quantum Essence

rebellion undone in a renewing wreckage
resolute is our Redeemer of royal lineage
reversed is the curse once so thorough and savage
reconciled to a God our lips praise in holy homage

salvation rings in Christ Jesus’ wake
sign of a Kingdom that is no mistake
simple and sincere is the rescue for creations sake
sacred is the faith in which we all partake

tending to His sheep in which a Good Shepherd delights
tattered on a cross to make us snow-white
turn from our own ways and in Him do we unite
torn from an old life which He makes aright

upside down can our perspective tend
unbeknownst to some His love yet befriends
upon all flesh will His Spirit descend
until in His compassionate Kingdom we all depend

victorious will forever be His praise
valiant warrior from the dead Christ is raised
victims of evil stand bewildered and amazed
voice of the Lamb released ablaze

will not this Child be triumphant
wondrous gaze of this Chosen Infant
with Living Spirit as His own Ointment
Word of Life with passion ardent

exile ended with strength hard to fathom
excruciating death will reverse the mortem
exodus from a dominion of cruelty and venom
exploring now the excellencies of Christ’s Kingdom

yonder Child so innocent and meek and mild
yet on this earth He releases fire so wild
‘yes’ will be the reply of many exiled
year of the Lord’s favour some will revile

zealous is the love of eternity’s Child released
zestfully dancing are the greatest to the least
zenith of His Reign never to be decreased
zion to host the feast of all great feasts

back to basics - first advent readings

walter brueggemann's comments on the first advent readings, from Sojourners:

Malachi 3:1-4; Luke 1:68-79; Philippians 1:3-11; Luke 3:1-6

John the Baptizer, in these readings, is sandwiched between a Hebrew Testament expectation of a refiner who purifies (Malachi) and a community of Christians whom Paul expects to be "pure and blameless" in the day of Christ (Philippians). The run-up to John (Malachi) and the spin-off from John (Philippians) together identify John as a "purifier" who purges the community of the faithful of all that has distorted them and cheapened their capacity to live faithfully and to witness well in the world.

The interpreter working with the sequence of expected refiner/John of Advent/purified community will reflect on the way in which the church in our culture has been compromised, and the way in which it may be brought to a readiness for the Christ-child. One may conclude that loss of critical edge, a softening of gospel identity, an excessive accommodation to consumerism, a tacit embrace of U.S. military imperialism, a cynical acceptance of social violence, a casual indifference to the suffering of the poor altogether have led to a dulled faith that cannot well receive the Christmas gift of newness. John, the carrier of costly readiness, is a wake-up call to Christians to get back to basics in faith, to recover initial resolve, and to be in a mode of hungry receptiveness. John's accent is on active, concrete intentionality: "share . collect no more ... do not extort" (Luke 3:10-14). Readiness for Christmas entails new neighborly resolve.

AMEN

lectio: luke 3:1-6

Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, in the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness. And he came into all the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins; as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:

"THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS,
'MAKE READY THE WAY OF THE LORD,
MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT.
'EVERY RAVINE WILL BE FILLED,
AND EVERY MOUNTAIN AND HILL WILL BE BROUGHT LOW;
THE CROOKED WILL BECOME STRAIGHT,
AND THE ROUGH ROADS SMOOTH;
AND ALL FLESH WILL SEE THE SALVATION OF GOD.'"

Luke 3:1-6


verses 1 and 2 - as one trained in the craft of history, i appreciate the context-setting that luke does here, giving us the international, national and local context of those who wield power. and yet in the midst of all these 'power people', the word of God comes to john, in the wilderness...not in the palaces and temples of power, but the wilderness. the wilderness has often seemed like a dry wasteland and the absence of God to me. but i testify that it has been in the wilderness seasons of my life - when i was athirst and my soul dried up - that is when God has given me his word, like a sudden rainshower...utterly refreshing and life to one in the wilderness; this also reminds me that it is into the wilderness that God – in the exodus – led the former slaves of Egypt to make of them a covenant people, ready to embody His Way…

verse 3 - stunning: 'preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins;' it strikes me today that i often rush through these words, assuming so much, because i have heard sermon-after-sermon about them. but today as i re-read them over and over, what strikes me is that john isn't preaching a repentance [greek: metanoia/"change you mind"] about your sins, but it says change your mind about "the forgiveness of sins". these people knew they were sinners; they lived in a culture seeped in the teaching of torah and if that wasn't enough, the pharisees are there to provoke them. but what john offers is a word about forgiveness...and this strikes me as a good word for myself as well: how often am i trying to convince people about the sin in their lives that they all ready know about? i need to begin speaking much more of forgiveness, and practicing it. the significance of forgiveness can be lost on me sometimes, but if preaching forgiveness gets john in trouble with the temple authorities, then it should probably get me in trouble as well; and it reminds me of the situation of the apostle paul: if we are not being accused by the pharisees and temple authorities of our day of having too much grace (like paul was in romans 6) then we probably are not really practicing the radical way of forgiveness; but, like paul, in taking the radical way of Jesus, we will likely need to explain ourselves, because it is not cheap grace nor easy forgiveness, but it is scandalous grace!

verses 4-6 - again, reflecting what had happened in verse 2, a voice proclaiming - crying out - in the wilderness; the echo of the word of God spoken in dry, lonely places. there will be no obstacle to God coming to forgive and deliver His people...chills run up my spine as i read: "and all flesh will see the salvation of God." Even so, come Lord Jesus.

++Lord Jesus, help us to embrace the way of forgiveness. Help us change our minds concerning the forgiveness of sins, and see that we cannot do it, it is only in you that we may find the deep grace of a delivering God. Let us see Your salvation, O God Most High! Amen.++

wondrously present awareness

"Take time to be aware that in the very midst of our busy preparations for the celebration of Christ's birth in ancient Bethlehem, Christ is reborn in the Bethlehems of our homes and daily lives. Take time, slow down, be still, be awake to the Divine Mystery that looks so common and so ordinary yet is wondrously present."

- Edward Hays

the fire of advent

"Advent, like its cousin Lent, is a season for prayer and reformation of our hearts. Since it comes at winter time, fire is a fitting sign to help us celebrate Advent.If Christ is to come more fully into our lives this Christmas, if God is to become really incarnate for us, then fire will have to be present in our prayer. Our worship and devotion will have to stoke the kind of fire in our souls that can truly change our hearts. Ours is a great responsibility not to waste this Advent time."

- Edward Hays