& slow - less on!
Well, Lord, I'm here and thought I was learning
to trust you and to work in partnerships
with you, who sees & thinks - the wheels turning
of your considerations, as time slips
... by in this world, for you're still healing sick-
nesses and helping good things come about.
And I see that my job is......to be quick,
to listen, ask good questions, not to shout;
but tune in, rout anxiety and fear
that do not trust the very GOD of all
creative love, who longs to, would, come near
...to help all goodness fly, and not just fall..
into its rust.. & ruin, but to flow'r...
by using rules of physics in this world
that all good actions with true love's own pow'r
may point to any way GOD wants us hurled.
I want that way, to be what comes about.
..to follow in the footsteps of our king;
so in the end my life won't even flout
your physics, 'coz you're Lord of ev'rything.
So when I fail, I will not waste a sec-
ond, punishing myself for being bad.
That kind of judgment isn’t mine to reck-
on with, not yet at any rate. No sad-
ness helps - unless it is to help us stop*
and turn around, desist from silliness;
just start to do the good and right, & top
it off with praise of good, & thankfulness.
Recalling those few mentions of his pow’r,
identity, and character to boot,
the motivating spirit° of “his hour”
that meant his chairos time had come to shoot
out actions, movements, words that took on breath.
I’m thinking Cana’s wedding, Jerus’lem’s feast,
& Laz'rus being raised up (after death).
He tried to work with God’s timing - at least.
And God’s own motivations became his.
He loved, enjoyed, and boldly stayed or went.
He spoke the truth in love to God’s own kids
and trusted God’s creative love well spent!
* the exception to this might be the sadness that we are called to in empathizing with someone-else's difficulties (& maybe just plain the act of entering our own real difficulties too, where it becomes a grim determination to go on well, instead of a turning around.
° “Jesus returned from the Jordan full of the Holy Spirit and was led by the Spirit into the desert,
14Then Jesus returned to Galilee, and the power of the Holy Spirit was with him. The news about him spread throughout all that territory. 15He taught in the synagogues and was praised by everyone. (Luke 4:1, 14-15 GNBUK).
21At that time Jesus was filled with joy by the Holy Spirit and said, “Father, Lord of heaven and earth! I thank you because you have shown to the unlearned what you have hidden from the wise and learned. Yes, Father, this was how you wanted it to happen. 22“My Father has given me all things. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” 23Then Jesus turned to the disciples and said to them privately, “How fortunate you are to see the things you see! 24I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see, but they could not, and to hear what you hear, but they did not.” (Luke 10:21-24 GNBUK)
“...Two days later there was a wedding in the town of Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there, 2and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3When the wine had given out, Jesus' mother said to him, “They have no wine left.” 4 “You must not tell me what to do,” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.” 5Jesus' mother then told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” 6The Jews have rules about ritual washing, and for this purpose six stone water jars were there, each one large enough to hold about a hundred litres. 7Jesus said to the servants, “Fill these jars with water.” They filled them to the brim, 8and then he told them, “Now draw some water out and take it to the man in charge of the feast.” They took him the water, 9which now had turned into wine, and he tasted it. He did not know where this wine had come from (but, of course, the servants who had drawn out the water knew); so he called the bridegroom 10and said to him, “Everyone else serves the best wine first, and after the guests have had plenty to drink, he serves the ordinary wine. But you have kept the best wine until now!” 11Jesus performed this first miracle in Cana in Galilee; there he revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him. (John 2:1-11 GNBUK)
“...After this, Jesus travelled in Galilee; he did not want to travel in Judea, because the Jewish authorities there were wanting to kill him. [2] The time for the Festival of Shelters was near, [3] so Jesus' brothers said to him, “Leave this place and go to Judea, so that your followers will see the things that you are doing. [4] No one hides what he is doing if he wants to be well known. Since you are doing these things, let the whole world know about you!” [5] (Not even his brothers believed in him.) [6] Jesus said to them, “The right time for me has not yet come. Any time is right for you. [7] The world cannot hate you, but it hates me, because I keep telling it that its ways are bad. [8] You go on to the festival. I am not going to this festival, because the right time has not come for me.” [9] He said this, and then stayed on in Galilee. [10] After his brothers had gone to the festival, Jesus also went; however, he did not go openly, but secretly. [11] The Jewish authorities were looking for him at the festival. “Where is he?” they asked. [12] There was much whispering about him in the crowd. “He is a good man,” some people said. “No,” others said, “he is misleading the people.” [13] But no one talked about him openly, because they were afraid of the Jewish authorities. [14] The festival was nearly half over when Jesus went to the Temple and began teaching. [15] The Jewish authorities were greatly surprised and said, “How does this man know so much when he has never had any training?” [16] Jesus answered, “What I teach is not my own teaching, but it comes from God, who sent me. [17] Whoever is willing to do what God wants will know whether what I teach comes from God or whether I speak on my own authority. [18] A person who speaks on his own authority is trying to gain glory for himself. But he who wants glory for the one who sent him is honest, and there is nothing false in him. [19] Moses gave you the Law, didn't he? But not one of you obeys the Law. Why are you trying to kill me?” [20] “You have a demon in you!” the crowd answered. “Who is trying to kill you?” [21] Jesus answered, “I performed one miracle, and you were all surprised. [22] Moses ordered you to circumcise your sons (although it was not Moses but your ancestors who started it), and so you circumcise a boy on the Sabbath. [23] If a boy is circumcised on the Sabbath so that Moses' Law is not broken, why are you angry with me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath? [24] Stop judging by external standards, and judge by true standards.” [25] Some of the people of Jerusalem said, “Isn't this the man the authorities are trying to kill? [26] Look! He is talking in public, and they say nothing against him! Can it be that they really know that he is the Messiah? [27] But when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from. And we all know where this man comes from.” [28] As Jesus taught in the Temple, he said in a loud voice, “Do you really know me and know where I am from? I have not come on my own authority. He who sent me, however, is truthful. You do not know him, [29] but I know him, because I come from him and he sent me.” [30] Then they tried to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. [31] But many in the crowd believed in him and said, “When the Messiah comes, will he perform more miracles than this man has?” (John 7:1-31 GNBUK)
“..A man named Lazarus, who lived in Bethany, was ill. Bethany was the town where Mary and her sister Martha lived. [2] (This Mary was the one who poured the perfume on the Lord's feet and wiped them with her hair; it was her brother Lazarus who was ill.) [3] The sisters sent Jesus a message: “Lord, your dear friend is ill.” [4] When Jesus heard it, he said, “The final result of this illness will not be the death of Lazarus; this has happened in order to bring glory to God, and it will be the means by which the Son of God will receive glory.” [5] Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. [6] Yet when he received the news that Lazarus was ill, he stayed where he was for two more days. [7] Then he said to the disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.” [8] “Teacher,” the disciples answered, “just a short time ago the people there wanted to stone you; and are you planning to go back?” [9] Jesus said, “A day has twelve hours, hasn't it? So whoever walks in broad daylight does not stumble, for they see the light of this world. [10] But if they walk during the night they stumble, because they have no light.” [11] Jesus said this and then added, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I will go and wake him up.” [12] The disciples answered, “If he is asleep, Lord, he will get well.” [13] Jesus meant that Lazarus had died, but they thought he meant natural sleep. [14] So Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, [15] but for your sake I am glad that I was not with him, so that you will believe. Let us go to him.” [16] Thomas (called the Twin) said to his fellow-disciples, “Let us all go with the Teacher, so that we may die with him!” [17] When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had been buried four days before. [18] Bethany was less than three kilometres from Jerusalem, [19] and many Judeans had come to see Martha and Mary to comfort them over their brother's death. [20] When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed in the house. [21] Martha said to Jesus, “If you had been here, Lord, my brother would not have died! [22] But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask him for.” [23] “Your brother will rise to life,” Jesus told her. [24] “I know,” she replied, “that he will rise to life on the last day.” [25] Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me will live, even though they die; [26] and all those who live and believe in me will never die. Do you believe this?” [27] “Yes, Lord!” she answered. “I do believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.” [28] After Martha said this, she went back and called her sister Mary privately. “The Teacher is here,” she told her, “and is asking for you.” [29] When Mary heard this, she got up and hurried out to meet him. [30] (Jesus had not yet arrived in the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him.) [31] The people who were in the house with Mary, comforting her, followed her when they saw her get up and hurry out. They thought that she was going to the grave to weep there. [32] Mary arrived where Jesus was, and as soon as she saw him, she fell at his feet. “Lord,” she said, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died!” [33] Jesus saw her weeping, and he saw how the people who were with her were weeping also; his heart was touched, and he was deeply moved. [34] “Where have you buried him?” he asked them. “Come and see, Lord,” they answered.
[36] “See how much he loved him!” the people said. [37] But some of them said, “He gave sight to the blind man, didn't he? Could he not have kept Lazarus from dying?” [38] Deeply moved once more, Jesus went to the tomb, which was a cave with a stone placed at the entrance. [39] “Take the stone away!” Jesus ordered. Martha, the dead man's sister, answered, “There will be a bad smell, Lord. He has been buried four days!” [40] Jesus said to her, “Didn't I tell you that you would see God's glory if you believed?” [41] They took the stone away. Jesus looked up and said, “I thank you, Father, that you listen to me. [42] I know that you always listen to me, but I say this for the sake of the people here, so that they will believe that you sent me.” [43] After he had said this, he called out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” [44] He came out, his hands and feet wrapped in grave clothes, and with a cloth round his face. “Untie him,” Jesus told them, “and let him go.” [45] Many of the people who had come to visit Mary saw what Jesus did, and they believed in him. [46] But some of them returned to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. [47] So the Pharisees and the chief priests met with the Council and said, “What shall we do? Look at all the miracles this man is performing! [48] If we let him go on in this way, everyone will believe in him, and the Roman authorities will take action and destroy our Temple and our nation!” [49] One of them, named Caiaphas, who was High Priest that year, said, “What fools you are! [50] Don't you realize that it is better for you to let one man die for the people, instead of having the whole nation destroyed?” [51] Actually, he did not say this of his own accord; rather, as he was High Priest that year, he was prophesying that Jesus was going to die for the Jewish people, [52] and not only for them, but also to bring together into one body all the scattered people of God. [53] From that day on the Jewish authorities made plans to kill Jesus. [54] So Jesus did not travel openly in Judea, but left and went to a place near the desert, to a town named Ephraim, where he stayed with the disciples. [55] The time for the Passover Festival was near, and many people went up from the country to Jerusalem to perform the ritual of purification before the festival. [56] They were looking for Jesus, and as they gathered in the Temple, they asked one another, “What do you think? Surely he will not come to the festival, will he?” [57] The chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where Jesus was, he must report it, so that they could arrest him.” (John 11:1-34, 36-57 GNBUK)
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