Are you willing to be a bruised reed
or a dimly burning wick?
You are going to be mugged
by Christmas or committees or colleagues,
and run headlong into
immovable objects – ouch,
and if the doubts don’t snuff you,
then some funeral will nearly wash you away
in your own tears.
The only promise you have
is you won’t be broken
and your fire
will not be extinguished,
and you recognize that falls short of
fixed, healed or set ablaze.
Sometime in the long, holy winter days
we discover we will not be fixed,
only rescued,
because it is just this
you and me,
all black eye and guttering flame,
that sermons to folks —
even they can be light to the nations,
jail-breakers, justice makers,
even they will find a precious One
to take their hands.
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Maren, beautiful expression of a wise insight! Thanks.
Thanks. MaryBeth … it is a learned by life experience!
I’m sure. I have passed your poem on today. Blessings on your day!
this is truly the best ever question for ordination. Thank you Maren – that is the life that we embrace for sure
Thanks, Erice, that is so very true! (Hard won knowledge, of course.)
Thank you, Maren! This is good.
If we were to adopt these questions in place of the time-worn and unintelligible ones that currently comprising the supposed examination of conscience, I wonder how many of those inappropriate colleagues we all recognize would be screened-out? Just a thought.
I hadn’t thought of it that way but it is true that the folks least suited for what the life really is fancy that a clergy life has privileges and honors … not so I’ve noticed!