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Friday, April 06, 2007
FARMStrong Good Friday Offering
Mystery's handles
seek hiding in Light
flickering candles
bearing ancient night

transporting the senses
through history's veil
focusing lenses
deencrypt time's brail

rescripting a Story
unnerving the grave
refashioned Glory
played out in the nave

poet's note: Last evening I accompanied my mom and dad to the Maundy Thursday worship service at our local First United here in the Big D (dumas, arkansas). We'll give a Tornado alley update later. It was a good night yet I found myself both engaged and disengaged through the service-- mostly the latter. As a way of staying engaged and attentive I turned to poetry as I often do these days. Ritual will do one of two things. It will either distance us from the mystery or usher us more deeply inside it. What makes the difference?

In retrospect, most of it was a religious program. Though filled with ritualistic accuracy, the service lacked congregational engagement. However, looking at my work above, I would have to admit I was engaged. Regardless, I don't mean to critique unduly here. I loved it. For me, the most engaging moment happened when the preacher did something I have never seen done before. As he was turning to extinguish the Christ Candle, the last light in the room, he took his snuffer and slowly pointed it around the sanctuary in a 360 degree circle, literally making eye contact with everyone in the room and then pointed it to himself before snuffing out the light. We departed in darkness.

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posted by John David Walt | at 4/06/2007 12:05:00 PM

 

3 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

One of the hard things for me about going back home to worship is a "disengagment" with whats going on. Meredith and I are even heading to a special service with another worshipping body tonight cause we have the feeling easter will be barley mentioned in our church Sunday.

I like the poem JD.

12:29 PM EDT  
Blogger DGH said...

He is RISEN!!!!!

10:50 AM EDT  
Blogger Rob Mehner said...

deencrypting...hmmm, i'm amazed. i'm still threshing friday mornings, are you with me?

4:45 PM EDT  

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