BLACK RIBBON

I've been called to celebrate several funerals over the past week (and next). Today, we honoured a man whose life was a highway, literally - a big rig, truck driver. I found this poem by Daniel Audet to read at the Memorial Service: Black Ribbon.

The glimmering black ribbon stretches before me,
reaching into endless darkness far ahead, begging I follow -
follow unspoken promises of returning into new born light.
On its' back I run.

Fearsome, ancient mountains, pushed outward from her raging host,
deep scars slashed in her earthen flesh, never healing,
open wounds parting the landscape upon which black ribbons lay.
Her silent agony grants me passage.
On her back we run.

Wood and steel stabbed through bloodless shoulders.
Words and pictures speak of destinations, renewal.
Towers of glass and stone shield the roving masses.
Reaching, seizing, always more.
False prophets of light fracture the sky, pushing back a hidden night.
My black ribbon a refuge from the void of souls.
On its' back I run.

Hearts exiled,
infinite returns to the end of our beginning,
witnesses to meaningless, faceless seasons.
Tortured whispers, embraced by loves tears, fall.
The black ribbon.
On its' back we run.

The glimmering black ribbon stretches before me,
reaching into endless darkness far ahead, begging I follow,
follow unspoken promises of returning into new born light.
Until I can run no more.
On its' back I run.

LOST AND FOUND

Over the past week and a half, the church has been receiving a few phone calls and emails looking for items that may have been left behind after the Youth Rally held at St. David's on March 14th. So far, everything someone has been looking for has been found. However, there are still some items laying around the church office that may have simply been forgotten (clothes, books, items created during the rally, etc.). Maybe people haven't noticed they are gone. Maybe people didn't realize that they were left at the church. Or Maybe, people can't be bothered.

I'm reminded of the scene in Toy Story 2 (yes I have kids), where Sarah McClaughlin sings over Jessie's story of being forgotten and discarded by a young girl. It explains Jessie's hard exterior and refusal to let herself be loved again. Some to think of it, that's a pretty mature theme for a kid's movie.

We live in a disposable society. Most often, the things we have are not intended to last. It may be coffee cup that is tossed once the rolled up win tells us to "please play again/réessayez s.v.p.", or the computer that is obsolete before we plug it in, or the appliance that is cheaper to replace than fix. There is an increasing number of us, who are trying reuse things as long as possible - but it takes a lot of effort to not just give in to giving up on things.

And yet, Jesus said that the Realm of God was like someone who wouldn't let go of the hope that the lost would be - could be - found. Sheep, Coins, People. There is value in the well-treaded. New is not necessarily better. I'm telling myself that maybe we shouldn't be too quick to replace just because it's harder to seek and find the value that still exists.

A ROARING GOOD TIME

I had the priviledge of helping host the 2010 Junior High Conference Youth Rally, this past weekend. It was a tonne of work - most of it rewarding, some quite frustrating. My joy is that I suspect that this rally was a wonderful experience for the youth and adults, alike. It was moving, fun, exhausting and spirit-filled.

OPEN MY EYES

I just got back from the eye doctor.

I have kept up with family tradition and have come to need reading glasses in my mid to late forties. It was exactly the same with both of my parents. A week from now, I can ditch the cheap pharmacy 1.5+ glasses for my own prescription.

I suppose I have been a bit of an anomaly going almost five decades with only my God-given eyes to help me see the world. I certain was a bit odd, not seeing an optometrist for more than three decades.

Vision is such a key sense. And those of us who know good vision can too often take it for granted. I went through a few weeks as the year was changing where my eyes were messed up - trouble seeing distances and then bouncing the other way to having trouble up close. They finally settled back to "normal" which is my new normal of having reading glasses.

Vision is also a powerful metaphor: not just physical sight, but insight and imagination - of dreams and hopes and plans and possibilities. I pray that my eyes may be opened in this metaphysical sense, even as I begin my walk with corrective lenses. I hope to see the call of God, the ministry of Christ, before me.

Open my eyes, that I may see!

LYRICS

Beyond Belief from "Open Hand"
Jesus - called me hypocrite.
When I said that I believe
He said, how can you follow me
Without a willingness to leave

Leave the gates and the passwords,
Known by just your kind
Walk beyond the divisions that religions always finds
And BE the mercy, my people need the peace
This fight over faith won't bring them relief
I love them beyond belief

Jesus - called me a hypocrite,
When I said I'd spread the word
He said, how can you teach of love
Unless you live what you have heard

Hear the hearts of the people, crying out in pain
Pain caused by dominion, and fighting in my name - my
So, BE the mercy, my people need the peace
This fight over faith won't bring them relief
I love them beyond belief

Jesus - called me a hypocrite,
When I said that I was saved
He said, how will your soul be judged
With all the judgments you have made

Faith can't be your fortress, arrogant with pride
Come walk here beside me with the humble ones outside
And BE the mercy, all my people need the peace
This fight over faith won't bring them relief
I love them beyond belief

Jesus called me to be the mercy

Credits: David Wilcox 2009
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f514o3GuxzA