Pentecost +13 Sunday – C3
Years C
Hebrews 12:18-29
In the push and pull of the world, how do we best find the energy to change and to persist in such a change?
Is it in the presence of a fearsome firestorm that will destroy at the slightest misstep? It seems for some this is a powerful motivation. A question can be raised about how deep such transformation runs, but some bear strong testimony to its effectiveness.
Is it an invitation to a festal gathering that speaks a better world ahead than brother against brother? For some this is a most effective approach to transformation.
Is it some judicial application of both -- "we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken" and "indeed our God is a consuming fire".
It is important to note both one's own proclivity in this regard as well as that of the folks one is encountering. When both are similar there is probably the greatest chance of making a difference in one another. When dissimilar, the communication between the two styles may block every other good intention.
= = = = = = =
double trouble
bile and bubble
danger abounds
protected only by
greater danger
in such a world
Abel continually cries
out for revenge
even though Cain
is protected
never will there be
a surcease of gloom
without a better word
leading a better world
into renewed life
this better world
goes beyond
a lick and a polish
a hope and a dream
to deeper festivity
no surface Pollyanna
can ride this ride
for it takes one taller
and deeper than
an arbitrary standard
here one must stand
beyond shifting foundations
upon a surety of better
words and worlds
especially if delayed
Nearly six years ago now, Herbert O'Driscoll commented on these words. We read them before September 11 but they spoke to him in the days and weeks after... what cannot be shaken in our world?
ReplyDeleteThank you for your connection with Herbert. Here is an audio of him speaking about three defining moments where Jesus might have become bent over, but didn't - ego, community, systems of power.
ReplyDelete