Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Uncomfortable Imagery – v3

The pastor knitted imagery
that didn’t quite go together
a bit incongruous, a bit distinct
images of the word, “uncomfortable”
of Scrooge, of the Grinch, a marriage
in trouble, a depressed elder,
waiting for death, alone,
feeling unworthy of Communion,
lamenting the ills of this world,
this time and place.

Musing on the image of John
standing hot and dirty
in the murky water, in camel hair,
cinched tight to his body,
eating locust, uncomfortable purity;
Preaching an uncomfortable word
in the hot desert, the wilderness
fulfilling the prophecy for his own life
the prophecy of the coming
of the child to ministry, to kingship,
of a very different kind of reign,

Finding hope, repentance, saving,
baptism, not so much in the dirty water itself
but in the place, the Jordan,
finding hope too in the frank words
the honesty of the man in the nursing home
the hope in the name of Scrooge, Ebenezer,
the stone that Samuel placed
in God’s provision, His saving of the people
long before even Isaiah’s prophecy
of the time that was to come.

Hope for a different future
in uncomfortable wrappers,
foreshadowing the problem
of comprehending Jesus, and his message
in society’s eyes, the eyes of the people
even to this day, in this moment
so different from our world
our wisdom, our comprehension
standing in the Jordan, watching Ebenezer
hope that we will change
in our time in this desert.

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edited July 23, 2019
Uncomfortable Imagery – v2

December 10, 2007
Uncomfortable Imagery
Based on Matthew 3:1-6 and Matthew 3:11-12
and the sermon “God’s Powerful Promise”,
by the Reverend Peter Hey, December 9, 2007,
Wesley United Methodist Church, Concord, NH

All of my poems, photographs, and videos are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019. All rights are reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss (raymondafoss@gmail.com)  for usage. See all 50,900+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

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