Dear sister Jo
what do you know?
On this fine day,
TwoSeven - May!
(- is it Arndell?)
Who cares to tell?
But something good
is where it should
be, in this world:
His flag's unfurled[1]!
Your cross took up[2],
drink from his cup[3].
The cup of pain?
Old-self disdain[4].
New-self in Christ[5],
meets him in tryst
secretly[6] grown,
now loudly groan[7],
like He in prayer
“knew” God was there[8].
Like him in not
playing with "rot"
or puffy yeast[9].
Pray for the least[10]!
For deaf and mute
He'd look & shoot
up a glance/prayer,
'n' speak God's word there[11].
He has long stayed,
and then has paid[12],
for you his daught-
-er, your life's fraught
with ad-ven-ture
and Jo, when sure
you're his small girl
you quietly curl
up right near him[13],
He, with his “whim”[14].
Keep in his love[15],
borne from above[16]!
[1] Both a) he has visited & claimed his spoils from this world (Colossians 2:13-15), and b) in Jo’s life, she owns him, and is not ashamed to bear his name (1 Pet 4:15-16 ), and his shame (Heb 13:12-16).
[3] Can you drink from the cup I must drink from? - We can! You will... (Mark 10:38-39)
[5] “In Christ”, you are a new (wo)man! (Ephesians 2:14-18; Colossians 3:8-11), made as part of a new creation (2Cor 5:17).
[6] Secret things noticed by Jesus’ God. (Matt 6:1-18 When you fast..., when you pray..., when you give…)
[8] Even when Jesus felt God not to be there, Jesus could ask him why he wasn’t there? (Mark 15:33-34)
[9] Mark 8:11-15 - He gave a loud groan,... walked out & left them,... and warned his disciples against their “yeast”.
[10] You will deny 3 times that you know me… But I have prayed for you… (Lk 22:31-34) and “what you do for the least of these, you do for me” (Matt 25:45)
[11] He gave a loud groan, looked up to heaven, spat and touched the man’s tongue and said “Ephatha” -Open up (Mk 7:32-37)
[12] You are not your own, you have been bought with a price, the life blood of Christ…(1 Cor 6:19-20; 7:23)
[13] Remember Mary sitting at his feet cf Martha busy doing jobs… (Luke 10:38-42)
[14] To stop and ask “Who touched me?”(Mark5:22-36), to say, “No, we won’t go back into town, we’ll go off around Galillee” (Mk 1:36-38), to wait for another three days after he hears of his friends sickness near death (John11:1-6 )
[15] Jude 1:20-21 “Keep yourselves in the love of God”, Jesus (Jn 15:9-14) “remain in my love…”
[16] The Greek word anothen can mean either “from above” or “again”. Jesus said unless you are “born anothen” you cannot see the kingdom of God.(Jn3:3 in vss 1-12) What was the word anothen meant to mean here? The riddle is spelled out later in the same chapter when John-the-Washer said “he who comes anothen is above all… the one who comes from heaven is above all”(Jn3:31). In this poemish thingo, it is both his love that is “bourne from above”, and you who is “born from above”. Live out your birthright, dear Jo.
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