Poems of the Incarnation (1)

 Understatement
… he was hungry.  Matthew 4:2

Of course he was hungry
after a 40 day fast in the desert.
The emptiness clawed
and his limbs shook.
The adversary waited
until the optimal hunger point
to offer food, miracle, and authority.
Jesus held his temper,
not giving the tempter even that
small gain, and calmly quoted Scripture.
Only once did he raise his voice.
Away from me, Satan!
The devil went.


The Angels Came
… and angels came and ministered to him. Matthew 2:4

Even the Son of Man
needed help and comfort
in the places of pain.
He was like us
in every way.

He Took a Whip
He made a whip of cords, and drove all from the temple courts…. John 2:15

This harsh angry Jesus alarms me.
He makes a weapon,
lifts it against both men and beasts.
He even attacks the furniture.
He throws money about
in what looks like a first class
temper tantrum.
He yells and commands, casts
people out. Apparent entitlement
and a complete lack of trust
in his fellow human beings
round out this ugly portrait
of a man who scares me.
His Father may have
“so loved the world”
but his son doesn’t appear
to even like it.


It Leaves Me Breathless
At once…. Without delay…. As soon as they left…. Mark 1:12, 20, 29

The plot doesn’t thicken.
It stretches thin
with the speed of a rabbit’s race
to the finish. At once the Spirit
pushes him into the wilderness.
Without delay, without a second
thought, Simon, Andrew, James and John
leave their lives to rush
after him. As soon as they left
the synagogue, they hightailed it
to Simon’s house where his mother-in-law
experienced a rapid healing,
with no recovery time necessary.
So quick quick
so slick and sudden.
After all, Jesus said,
Now is the time.
The kingdom’s here.
This is your moment.
Believe it. Repent.


Questions about Demons    
I know who you are—the Holy One of God! Luke 4:34

How is it that the demons
all knew you, were among the first
to call you the Holy One of God,
the Christ, the Son of God?
How could those with twisted vision,
filthy mouth, and scheming hearts
know you when no one else had a clue?
Why did they scream your holy names?
Why did you demand their silence?
Did you not want to be known?
And why, seeing you so clearly,
did they not fall at your feet
and worship?


Another Take on Silencing the Demons
Luke 4

The reputation
of the witness
matters.

A voice in the wilderness: poems of John the Baptist

Like a Jackal
… a voice of one calling in the wilderness…. Mark 1:3

Like a jackal
or a mountain lion,
John cried out
from the wild places.
A survivor, he knew
how to eat off the land,
clothe himself in animal skins,
shelter among the rocks.
He chose isolation
until he knew
his time had come.

Baptism by Fire
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Matthew 3:11

No gentle man, this John.
He names the religious leaders
a den of snakes
and calls out their arrogance.
He warns of a fiery baptism to come.
Repent! he shouts
as they turn and walk away.
His ratings as a preacher
couldn’t be lower.

The Message
After me comes one more powerful…. Mark 1:7

John’s message
was simple, two-fold.
Turn from your sins.
And, It’s not me.
It’s him.
His voice
echoes down the years.

It’s him.
It’s him.
It’s him.

Grace to Step Aside
He must become greater; I must become less. John 3:30

Teach me to step down, my Lord,
to rejoice when I see your Spirit
poured without measure
on other writers, speakers, teachers,
on my children and grandchildren,
on those much younger than me.
Teach me the joy of praying
from the sidelines, “Thy kingdom
come. Thy will be done.”
Let me move with grace into
my changing role.

Even Herod
Herod feared John and protected him. Mark 6:20

Bad press to the contrary,
Herod was drawn to the light
he saw shining through
the rough desert man.
In spite of the harsh
words against his marriage,
Herod liked to listen to John.
He tried to protect
the vulnerable prophet
from those who would silence him.
Yet it was his own foolishness,
haste, and fear of what people would say
that brought on  the mockery
of the head-on-a-platter scene.
Drawn to the light,
now swallowed in darkness,
he had come so close.