this spoken word piece was written for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2024, using the scriptures for Day 7: Psalm 10: 1,17-18; Philippians 2: 1-5; Luke 10: 36 (each day a different verse from the parable of the Good Samaritan was the focus)
Why,
O Lord, do you stand far off: Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
It’s been weeks since I have heard you.
I tie up my shoes to run away,
Sneakers running from chaos.
You stand far off- remaining silent:
Quiet in the face of death, upon death
Bombs fall, war rages, millions are displaced
Temperatures rise, weather goes rogue, volcanoes consume
You have hid yourself
In crisis been invisible
And the sneakers go, 5k
Angrily carrying me away: pray, pray, pray.
Where
is the One who makes us lie down in green pastures,
Leads us beside still waters?
It has been months since I have heard you.
I run away – looking at my feet and only a few steps ahead
Never to the side of the road
There are no neighbours there
Emphatic strain -it’s too much to risk
the accident of finding the hurt, the needy, the lonely, the dying
When what can I do – alone, no phone, no gloves, and scared
Better not to look to the side of the road
I run new routes – friendlier neighbourhoods-
The Nimby areas; ‘NOT-IN-MY-BACKYARD'
I run new routes to avoid:
It’s been weeks since I have heard you.
I tie up my shoes to run away,
Sneakers running from chaos.
You stand far off- remaining silent:
Quiet in the face of death, upon death
Bombs fall, war rages, millions are displaced
Temperatures rise, weather goes rogue, volcanoes consume
You have hid yourself
In crisis been invisible
And the sneakers go, 5k
Angrily carrying me away: pray, pray, pray.
Leads us beside still waters?
It has been months since I have heard you.
I run away – looking at my feet and only a few steps ahead
Never to the side of the road
There are no neighbours there
Emphatic strain -it’s too much to risk
the accident of finding the hurt, the needy, the lonely, the dying
When what can I do – alone, no phone, no gloves, and scared
Better not to look to the side of the road
I run new routes – friendlier neighbourhoods-
The Nimby areas; ‘NOT-IN-MY-BACKYARD'
I run new routes to avoid:
AVOID
Growing tent encampments
Where litter sprawls and rats jump out;
Broken walls and corners where needles lay;
Go places where intersections are free
No addicts, no coin cups, no guilt
And the sneakers go, 10k
Thumping out the rhythm: pray, pray, pray.
Where
is the Lord, who will hear the desire of the meek; who will strengthen their
heart?
Not in the line at the crowded emergency
Not at the mobile clinic
Not with the woman in conversation with 3 others in her head
Not with the man in the middle of the road – mind lost- strung out
Not with the child who sits in class not having breakfast
Not with the household stuck in violence -nowhere to go.
God, hear the prayers of your people
You promised –
And the sneakers go, 15k: pray, pray, pray.
You
promised-
you will incline your ear to do justice for the orphan and the oppressed,
for enough foster-homes for children who need support
for enough accessible and adequate housing spaces
for enough food to fill bellies
for enough resources and know-how to embrace those with precarious mental health
for enough creativity and mercy in systems to become commonwealth
for enough abundance that kindom is present
that those -that a broken humanity- those on the earth may strike terror no more.
No more terror! No more fear!
A
welcome pause at km 21, a world without terror.
For a moment I look up – breathe in Mother Earth, breathe in life;
Connect to the land, reconcile my being with all that is around me
I have a momentary glimpse of “and God saw that it was good.”
God’s voice twice heard.
Amen let this be so. And off the sneakers go: pray, pray, pray
It
takes that long God, 21k before the chaos of the world loosens and blows away
And come to find
You are not far off but just in front of me –
Trailside - Pointing into the ditches:
At moments - hope – growing out of the dirt, greening;
Hope – chirping away as the birds get drunk on berries;
Hope – in the child catching snowflakes on the tongue
Hope – that look of acknowledgement passed between humans, eye to eye
In the ditches - Where there is peace? Mercy? Comfort? - Christ,
Resurrection - a change to start again
Christ in:
the consolation of love, as shelters are built and community fires stoked;
tender affection as coffee is poured and feet are washed;
empathy, in forms of socks and toques, and a listening ear on a bench;
unconditional love as a door is opened, a meal shared, a bedroom given –
to a stranger, now friend
as I look beyond my feet,
once the shadow of the world is released,
there is Christ with dirt on the face – a holy patina - as bright as day
making joy complete
O God hear our prayer -
Amen let this be so. And off the sneakers go: pray, pray, pray.
On
this road there are runners from this denomination or that;
As we pass we share the peace - with a nod or a wave
We BE of the same mind,
Once the Son-shines we have the same love,
We are filled and of one mind
we run with mercy and we pray----
we run not from selfish ambition or empty conceit
but in humility regarding others – all others- as better than ourself;
Each of us not looking on our own interests but to the interests of others.
And we meet Christ there – in the eyes of the other- neighbour!
Together whether in the ditch or on the road.
As
our steps -your steps, my steps -fall in sync: pray, pray, pray
the same mind is in us that was in Christ.
And in that … a marathon is run, for the healing of the whole world.
Growing tent encampments
Where litter sprawls and rats jump out;
Broken walls and corners where needles lay;
Go places where intersections are free
No addicts, no coin cups, no guilt
And the sneakers go, 10k
Thumping out the rhythm: pray, pray, pray.
Not in the line at the crowded emergency
Not at the mobile clinic
Not with the woman in conversation with 3 others in her head
Not with the man in the middle of the road – mind lost- strung out
Not with the child who sits in class not having breakfast
Not with the household stuck in violence -nowhere to go.
God, hear the prayers of your people
You promised –
And the sneakers go, 15k: pray, pray, pray.
you will incline your ear to do justice for the orphan and the oppressed,
for enough foster-homes for children who need support
for enough accessible and adequate housing spaces
for enough food to fill bellies
for enough resources and know-how to embrace those with precarious mental health
for enough creativity and mercy in systems to become commonwealth
for enough abundance that kindom is present
that those -that a broken humanity- those on the earth may strike terror no more.
No more terror! No more fear!
For a moment I look up – breathe in Mother Earth, breathe in life;
Connect to the land, reconcile my being with all that is around me
I have a momentary glimpse of “and God saw that it was good.”
God’s voice twice heard.
Amen let this be so. And off the sneakers go: pray, pray, pray
And come to find
You are not far off but just in front of me –
Trailside - Pointing into the ditches:
At moments - hope – growing out of the dirt, greening;
Hope – chirping away as the birds get drunk on berries;
Hope – in the child catching snowflakes on the tongue
Hope – that look of acknowledgement passed between humans, eye to eye
In the ditches - Where there is peace? Mercy? Comfort? - Christ,
Resurrection - a change to start again
Christ in:
the consolation of love, as shelters are built and community fires stoked;
tender affection as coffee is poured and feet are washed;
empathy, in forms of socks and toques, and a listening ear on a bench;
unconditional love as a door is opened, a meal shared, a bedroom given –
to a stranger, now friend
as I look beyond my feet,
once the shadow of the world is released,
there is Christ with dirt on the face – a holy patina - as bright as day
making joy complete
O God hear our prayer -
Amen let this be so. And off the sneakers go: pray, pray, pray.
As we pass we share the peace - with a nod or a wave
We BE of the same mind,
Once the Son-shines we have the same love,
We are filled and of one mind
we run with mercy and we pray----
we run not from selfish ambition or empty conceit
but in humility regarding others – all others- as better than ourself;
Each of us not looking on our own interests but to the interests of others.
And we meet Christ there – in the eyes of the other- neighbour!
Together whether in the ditch or on the road.
the same mind is in us that was in Christ.
And in that … a marathon is run, for the healing of the whole world.
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