An unlikely yoking: Poems of the Incarnation (4)

 

For the Harvest
Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers…. Matthew 9:38

He doesn’t necessarily want
professional preachers,
TV evangelists,
or super-apostles.
He wants persons
like you and me
who are willing to learn
to say the words
and do the stuff.
Apparently the Almighty
chooses not to do it alone.
Chooses us.

Supporting Actor
… a man with a shriveled hand was there. Mark 3:1

The man with the shriveled hand
was not the hero of his story.
He was given no speaking parts,
his character was not developed,
and only once was he asked
to stand before the audience.
The protagonists—Jesus and his accusers—
took the stage,
moved the plot forward,
and carried off the non-conclusion
with a sense of suspense
for all that would follow.

Yet that silent secondary actor
walked out into the morning,
his hand healed,
his life changed.


To the Jesus I See in Matthew
(to the me I see)
He who does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Matthew 10:38

My Lord,
I long to delight you
as you delight the Father,
but I fear your anger.
I can’t live up to your demands.
My heart is not pure.
It’s hard to forgive.
It’s hard to have faith.
My prayers for healing fall short.
My eyes and ears don’t pick up on nuance.
There’s much I don’t understand.
Have mercy on me.
That’s all I can pray.
Lord Jesus Christ,
Son of the living God,
have mercy on me,
a sinner.


An Unlikely Yoking
Come to me, all you who are weary…. Take my yoke upon you…. Matthew 11;28-29

God blesses us with rest,
then places an implement
of work around our necks,
gives us a load to carry on our backs,
and places us in a field.
He makes us his apprentices,
teaches us to rest as we work,
to labor in peace.
We return home
at the end of the day,
strangely refreshed.