Related Poetry

The following poems were written to express the kinds of sentiments you will find in the stories collected here.

SACRIFICE (2002)

A life laid down for another - for enemies and friends alike
No greater love...

Candlelight reflecting in gold, in red
Precious metal caressing precious blood
We chew the flesh so freely offered
The cost of this feast forgotten in the midst of remembrance
Celebration of the risen Christ become ritual
Lacking meaning
"Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty"

One by one the communicants come forwards
Kneel at the foot of the cross...

Flame an expression of His presence in us
We forget
Though bread must be chewed and wine burns to the stomach
(My body broken, My blood shed)
Symbols of His sacrifice
Death on a cross
We wear so freely on our necks and display on our walls
The instrument of tortuous despairing
Triumph
"Heaven and Earth are filled with His glory, Hosanna in the highest!"

We believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth...
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son our Lord...
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of Life...
We believe in the holy, catholic, and apostolic church...

Candle-flame shadows the beauty of death
More than just the empty tomb, the bloody cross
The ascendant Christ
Who sits at His Father's right hand
And weeps for those who do not know Him as He weeps for those who do
For all are lost in our broken world
And all forget each week the cost of the gift He's given us
Eternal life
Love and happiness
Truth
"Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, Hosanna in the highest!"

Singing "Hosanna"s and "Glory to God"s
"This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine..."

A faint light glows dully, no longer brightly guiding us in
Our debt is worth more than our measly lives
(Our bodies broken, our blood shed)
But these we offer with strings attached in exchange for His suffering
Even as we remember
Proclaim
And await
As it was in the beginning
Is now
And ever shall be
World without end
Amen

"Go forth into the world, rejoicing in the power of the Spirit."
"Thanks be to God. Alleluia!"

And we commence fellowship.

TEACH ME (1998)

Teach me silence.

Teach me to sit quietly,           to listen.
Teach my heart to sing, my soul to soar,
and teach me patience.

I need to learn          comfort           in the silence,
                                            peace            in the busyness of life.

I do not need to surround myself with music and words;
I need to learn to be still without them.
Teach me to be joyful,          whatever happens;
                   to have love          for whoever needs it.

Teach me myself,
as you would have me be.

Teach me.

Teach me silence.

GOD OF CONTRADICTIONS (2000)

God of contradictions
God of unchanging
solidarity.

How am I to remember to fear
the greatness of the One who created Eternity
when I am reminded at every turn
that He is also supposed to be my best friend?

How do you fear a friend?

How am I supposed to find You
praying in the Garden of Gethsemane
when it’s the simplest of truths
that I have trouble coming to in faith?

How do you come to faith?

How can I sing Your praises
with the angels who love You unquestioningly
when I always have to ask
and I don’t want to be who I am?

How do you worship ‘I AM’?

How do I know You’re around
listening to my tearful, terrified prayers
when I can’t quiet the sounds
and come in silence to feel Your presence?

How do you enter that presence?

How do I find that place again
that I can come around the corner once more
crawl into Your lap for comfort
walk with You in the orchard
eventually fly above it all?

How do I find the You I’ve forgotten
the You I never knew
the You I need?
How can I reach far enough,
strive hard enough,
give enough,
be enough
to reach You?

How can I feel You?

I must be Thomas once again,
doubting in the face of all the evidence,
wondering if it’s really true,
hoping that it is...
knowing deep down that it has to be.

How do I come back?

Where do I go?
What do I need?

God of contradictions
God of unchanging
solidarity.

UNMAKER (2005)

Unmaker,
Let me learn to abandon myself fully to You.
Rabboni,
Teach me how to listen to You as I have wished in the past.
Father,
Show me what You want of me, so that I can become more and more Your child.
Maker,
Create in me that depth, that solidity and stillness that I so desire.
Changer,
Grant me the capacity to contain all that I must contain, at the same time allowing myself to be contained by You (for You are the only One who can truly contain me).
Servant Love,
Let me be the embodiment of peace and blessing to all I encounter.
Still One,
In times of desperation, may Your calm descend upon me, that I may show Your truth and love to the world.
Faithful One,
Hold me when my fear becomes too large, and remind me that I am able to trust others without losing any of my identity.
Triune God,
May my identity become one with Yours.

May my life be ever pleasing to You, O Lord.
Daily may I pray this prayer.
Nightly may I see Your hand in all things.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end, Amen.

WEIGHT (2002)

How can I lift something up
When it weighs so much
I can hardly breathe?
A solid rock beats with my chest
Not pounding with fear,
Or racing with excitement,
But labouring under this heaviness.
Each breath is a gift,
A powerful statement of life.
The struggle to be,
To continue with existence
Must someday slow to a halt.
Strength to love,
Strength to grieve,
Strength to say good-bye.
There is power couched in the tears of those who love,
And freedom comes to all who will believe.
Second-best isn't always good enough;
Teach us to hold You first.
We want to know You, to seek You fully.
We desire the same for our friends and our families.
Comfort those who mourn...
Free the souls who seek...
Grant us peace, O Mighty God.
Amen.

AFTERMATH (2006)

Hurt
Bruised
Cracked
Breaking

I don’t want to be broken, God.

It’s my own foolishness that brought me here.
Won’t You reach down and heal these wounds
anyway…?

Pain
Loved
Scorned
Leaking

I don’t want to be this holy, Lord.

It’s my own foolishness that brought me here.
Won’t You reach down and heal these wounds
anyway…?

Fear
Stained
Maimed
Seeking

I don’t want to be afraid of love.

It’s my own foolishness that brought me here.
Won’t You reach down and heal these wounds
anyway…?