Thursday, October 16, 2014

Making the secular Holy – v4

I weep for my brothers, for sisters
who cannot know this joy
making the secular Holy
standing before the Lord

I know the stark difference
between union and marriage
to stand before the state
and to stand before God

We married outside
under a snowy sky;
Yes, we professed our love
out loud before our God

But the ceremony incomplete
needing the church wedding
the moment when we stood
before our congregation in the temple

Making the secular Holy
the imprimatur of faith
standing in that community
feeling the gift of grace


=====
edited October 16, 2014
Making the secular Holy – v4

(editing original again)
Edited September 8, 2013
“Making the secular Holy – v3”
Edited September 7, 2013
“Making the secular Holy – v2”
new poem September 7, 2013
“Making the secular Holy”
----
This poem is about my wife and me when we got married
in a civil service on December 17, 2004 in Concord, NH in White Park
and then before our church family at
Wesley United Methodist Church in Concord, NH
on April 23, 2005.
----
We celebrate 2 anniversaries because they both mean a great
deal to us, in very different ways.
I grieve for those who are able to marry civilly in so many
states now, such as NH, but are unable to marry in their
United Methodists churches and for the clergy who are put on trial
for choosing to go against the Discipline to marry them.
&
trials of Rev. Frank Schaefer
and Rev. Thomas Ogletree
and  Rev. Steve Heiss
&
Edited September 7, 2013
For Offering Love – v2
June 22, 2011
For Offering Love
Love on Trial,
the case against the Reverend Amy DeLong,
which begins on June 20, 2011
&
John 8:1-11
&
Samuel Thompson’s
Inclusion Essay
shared at the New England United Methodist Church
Annual Conference
in response to call by Reconciling Ministries Network
for essays describing, “My vision for an inclusive church”,
June 10, 2011
&
in part inspired by conversations with
the Reverend John Makokha
Riruta UMC
Children of Africa Hope Mission Project in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya. http://rirutaumc.homestead.com/children_of_africa.html
&
Matthew 25:31-46
The Sheep and the Goats
&
Matthew 28:18-20
Great Commission

All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage. See all 32,820+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

No comments: