Lenten Poetry: Day 20

Hallowed

I could live in the prayer's beginning
HALLOWED HALLOWED HALLOWED
encircled in the symphony of a holy choir
whose singing has no end,
but all too swiftly
I am beyond that
and asking:
GIVE GIVE GIVE
and more than daily bread.
Where do the words come from?
How does my voice insinuate itself
into his prayer?
O Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,
hold my hand...

--Ann Weems

By faith...Moses

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. By faith…Moses. Yes, Moses, the little baby who was placed in a basket by his mother and sent down the river. His mother hoped for a better life for him. Moses, who was found by the daughter of Pharaoh down river. Moses, who fled to Midian and was taken in by the priest of Midian. Zipporah, one of the daughters of the priest, is given to Moses in marriage. And while Moses was keeping watch over the flock the angel of the Lord appeared to him through a burning bush. Yes, a burning bush. And God spoke to Moses, telling him to remove his sandals because he is standing on holy ground. Then God proceeded to tell Moses that he is being sent to Pharaoh to bring the Israelites out of Egypt.

Often I have wished for a burning bush. Yes, a burning bush. I went to college thinking that I was called to ministry. I declared Religion as my major. And so on my very first day of college I went to my Religion 100 class. I was blown out of the water. My professor had some pretty “out there” thoughts in relation to my Sunday school upbringing. So as I struggled through that class I did some discerning. I decided that if I could barely make in through a Religion 100 class I probably wasn’t called to ministry. So I changed my major to Communications and went on my merry way. In the back of my mind I still wondered if I was called to ministry. So I often prayed that God would show me some sign. And I wanted a sign that was easy to recognize. Sometimes I even prayed that God would send me a burning bush or a billboard. Well, to this day I have not stumbled on any burning bushes or any flashing billboards telling me what to do with my life.

However, I have stumbled upon some pieces of holy ground. Like Moses there have been some times when I needed to take off my sandals, because the ground on which I was standing was holy ground.

It was the fall of 2005. I was doing relief work in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina when I met a man who had lost everything to the water damage and mold in his house. He had lost all the photos of his wife. He had lost all his daughter’s mementos. Yet, through the dirt and the water and the pain this man still had faith. I heard God saying to me “remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”

It was the summer of 2009. I was doing my clinical pastoral education at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN when I met a woman in her 40s who had just found out that her body was filled with metastasized cancer. She was recently divorced and the mother of three teenage daughters. I sat with her while she told her daughters that their time together was limited. And then in the midst of doubt, uncertainty, and anger she asked me to pray. I heard God saying to me “remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”

It was the summer of 2010. I was asked to officiate at my cousin’s wedding. The ceremony was beautiful. I was so blessed to be pronouncing two people as husband and wife. And in the midst of all of their wedded bliss they took time at their reception to honor our grandmother who had died nine years prior. As a family we all released balloons, so that she could be a part of their special day. And as I watched those balloons float to heaven, I heard God saying to me “remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”

Moses stepped out in faith. He removed the sandals from his feet and stood on holy ground. Then after several attempts to barter with God he followed God’s call for his life, to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. We, too, are called to step out in faith. We are called to remove the sandals from our feet and stand on holy ground with those we love and with the God who loves us. And like Moses, we are called to follow God’s call for our life, even when it may seem difficult, unpopular, and even when God’s call doesn’t come in the form of a burning bush. Amen.

Lenten Poetry: Day 19

Winding Down

We run around the world and church
like wound-up toys,
looking for a way to get to Easter
without reading the instructions.
When we wind down,
we lie on the floor
on our faces,
unable to move.
Perhaps, in the still and the silence,
God will give us the courage
to see our souls
and give us the chance
once more
to choose Life:
faith, rather than frenzy.

--Ann Weems

Lenten Poetry: Day 18

Shaking The Dust From Off Their Feet

He asked them point blank
why they didn't stop by anymore.
At first they responded politely
that they'd been awfully busy,
but would certainly be calling
one of these days real soon.
Pressed, they spewed it out:
Despite their efforts
to care and to comfort,
he refused to see
any stars in his dark skies.
The community could no longer stay
waiting for his eyes to see,
but had to continue, as always,
in search of Light.
You know, they said,
where you can find us.

--Ann Weems

Lenten Poetry: Day 17

The Way To Jerusalem Is Cluttered

The way to Jerusalem
is cluttered
with bits and pieces of our lives
that fly up and cry out,
wounding us as we try
to keep upon this path
that leads to Life.

Why didn't somebody tell us
that it would be so hard?

In the midst of the clutter,
the children laugh
and run after stars.
Those of us who are wise
will follow,
for the children will be the first
to kneel in Jerusalem.

--Ann Weems

Lenten Poetry: Day 16

The Last Shall Be First

Along the way the pilgrims heard
that a group of people
had set out for Jerusalem
without a map.
Since each of us owned
our own map
and read it daily
and even then
had difficulty knowing
which way to turn,
we were amazing
that they would set out
on their own...
amazed and alarmed.
Many a day we had
prayed and consulted
over choices
in the road.
This news presented
a greater dilemma:
Which of us would go
in the rescue part?
Whoever went would
most certainly
not get to Jerusalem
on time.
Distraught,
we prayed.
Then it was we realized
that the ones who went
in search of the lost
would be the first
to arrive in Jerusalem.

--Ann Weems

Lenten Poetry: Day 15

Careful Consideration

Certain in-charge church people
expound upon the finer points of doctrine
while the disenfranchised await the verdict.

Meanwhile the holy fools rush in
and touch the outcasts,
creating Good News once again.

--Ann Weems