Share the Wealth

All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage. See all 18,960+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Explaining Job

We gathered, in a circle in the Parlor of the church
gathering to study your word, the message
in the lectionary, the lectionaries of the three passages
the three segments of the story of Job, a righteous man
tested, revealed by God, in the testing
We read the words of your Word, feeling the power
the meaning in the framing of the question, the pithy retorts,
rebukes from God by his arrogance, presumption of parity
the weight of his argument, like soap bubbles or gossamer
burst by the breath of God
Finding parallels in acts of violence, acts of hatred
in our own world, far too close to home
where we no longer feel truly safe, exposed pain
stripping bare the facade, the charade of safety
Setting our feet on thatched grass, riding over quicksand
hoping our weight doesn’t sink us in the mud
knowing only that we don’t understand
can’t grasp the meaning of the moment;
hoping it will be clear in time

October 22, 2006 15:02
Job 1:1; 2:1-10
Job 23:1-9, 16-17
Job 38:1-7 (34-41); Psalm 104:1-9, 24, 35c


All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage. See all 19,010+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Be Like Children

Children were not privileged,
they were the last, the bottom rung
on the ladder of life in His day
the last to receive, the first to go without
but they are the models, the characteristics
the means to saving grace He was to bring
faithful servants, slaves to all, humble
loving stewards of the promise
innocent of hubris, of claims to privilege
to a place at the table, a reserved seat
Be as children, as these, to inherit
open, trusting, healed by faith,
by believing without seeing
by believing, accepting the gifts
as children do

October 22, 2006 14:51
Mark 10:35-45, and the earlier passages of this chapter,
such as Mark 10:14-15


All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage. See all 19,010+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

You Don’t Understand

Lips crimson with the blood of sacrifice -
No they don’t understand
the legacy they are asking to carry
the call they claim to heed
Drinking from the cup of fulfillment
or dreadful of awesome obligation
the cup he chooses to raise to his lips
drinking of the blood of pardon
his own blood spilled, theirs too
if they take on the mantle, the onus
the yoke of service
becoming slaves to all, whipped
by the lash, crowned like him
in thorns, in mocking jeers
to be a servant to all,
martyrs to their faith

October 22, 2006 14:35
Mark 10:35-45



All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage. See all 19,730+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Do More Than Dream

We dream of a world without pain
without poverty, without hunger
we dream of a place for us
in your kingdom
what are we doing now
to put our faith in motion
in action now in this world
to better the lives, the days
of our brother, our sister,
their children,
our world.
We must fulfill the call
He made when they asked
asked for a place in the hereafter
when the work is here

October 22, 2006 14:24
Mark 10:35-45



All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage. See all 19,730+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Arguing with God

Wrestling with God,
no that didn’t get Jacob too far
just a pain in the hip
he carried the rest of his days
Same too of a righteous Job
railing at the Almighty over his testing
missing the point, the distance
between he and Thee
Wanting to make his case
as a peer arguing in the gate,
opposing counsel making oral arguments
before the Supreme Court;
but he forgot his place, his petitions
made to the one Judge and jury
the Creator of all.
How weak he was,
he was made to perceive
to understand only
what he could not fathom,
to reach wisdom
in knowing that he could not know
could not speak as equal
to his maker, to God

October 22, 2006 14:20
Job 1-42



All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage. See all 19,730+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Like Job

Like Job, a righteous man
we struggle to comprehend, to understand
innocent suffering in this world
and closer to home
to process the meaning, the purpose
of unspeakable evil, around us
How a God of mercy, of infinite grace
could let such suffering exist,
live side by side
beauty and compassion,
caring and hate,
war and disease
miracle cures and hopelessness
and despair
A world of shocking paradoxes
of breathtaking joy, heart wrenching loss
unexplainable conditions
Struggling on, Having to trust in His providence,
His purposes, His justice, His timing
when we can not comprehend

October 22, 2006 14:13



All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage. See all 19,730+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

The Suffering of a Righteous Man

May it take no more suffering of a righteous man
for us to see the error of the ways, the loss in
the coarseness of our land, the silver lining
may it shine, for all to see, heed its call
to reconcile to each other, seal the breach
the loss we all share, the responsibility too
to make the bonds anew in troubled times
reclaim that which was lost before he fell
the latest metaphor, the latest martyr
to a failed collective age
all about me no more for we cannot
will not understand the taking the pain
of innocent blood, holy blood shed
so that we might see, change our ways
act now act differently to one another
to each other, as the son gave his life
for our sins, may we acknowledge
the sacrifice just paid for what it is
a chance to change course
heal this city, reclaim it for our own
neighbor by neighborhood

October 22, 2006 14:04



All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage. See all 19,730+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

He Giveth and Taketh Away

The breath of life
is the breath He sends
infuses dust, flesh
of all, and He alone
takes that breath
from dust to dust
framed by the
Creator’s, animator’s breath
giving and taking
the spark of life

October 21, 2006 22:12
Psalm 104:29b-30a
“when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.
When you send forth your spirit, they are created;”



All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage. See all 19,730+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

A Ransom

Like kidnap victims
we are stolen from our Father
but not by some unknown criminal,
no we are taken from Him
by our own choices,
our own doing,
our own sin
We are hidden from His face,
from His presence
A ransom must be paid,
an awesome ransom
one we could never pay,
not in a hundred lifetimes
A ransom that could not be forgiven, excused
God used His own self, His son
another face of the Father
to pay our ransom
so we could be returned
to our Father

===============

edited January 20, 2016

A Ransom – v2

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2016/01/a-ransom-v2.html

October 21, 2006 21:00

A Ransom

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.co.uk/2006/10/ransom.html

Mark 10:43b-45

“whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

All of my poems and photographs are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss (raymondafoss@gmail.com) for usage. See all 40,740+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.