The Church, As System-Mistress Once Again

How does one say, “Hey, one I love,
I want you here, not up above”?
To me words seem not quite enough
Too much of air, could use more touch.

“What's next?” (collage for Tuesday night)
“What do you need?” (In cancer fight)
“Where do you want to be?” (she asked).
Right here – with you – let's make it last.

I know just who I am, I do;
Know what I'll do, along with you;
And I know when that's going to be;
Deep down inside my mind I see.

I know just who I am, and where
I'm going to go, when I'll get there;
No doubt at all, it's locked right in –
My brain will know it when it's seen.

I wish it would pop to the top
So I could look at what I've got;
Though in your hands, O Lord, my God,
This silent guidance seems so odd.

I want things clear – like after rain
When air is cleared, restored again –
Not foggy mist like mountain dew,
For clarity brings life anew.

Lord, what I hear, like years ago,
“If path you seek, and way you'd know,
Then make a list and turn it around
Keep feet firm-planted on the ground.

“For where you've been you know quite well,
So things folks need traversing hell
Are crystal clear, like after rain;
Do them for other folks – the same.”

That says to me, “Church – local – here
Where folks can come address their fear
And guilt at blowing it again;
Find comfort, guidance through their pain.”

All else to me a back seat takes
Like after main-course, pie or cake –
I guess the detail's there as well;
This drifting around is living hell.

I found live embers in my soul
Were stirred up quickly – that I know –
When option for this town emerged,
They flared, then quickly were submerged.

How does one say, “Hey, one I love
I want you there, not just above
To me words seem not quite enough
Too much of air, too little touch?”

*******

Here – here in Brandon where we came
To come inside, out of the rain;
We found life worked quite well enough,
Though parts of road were really tough.

“So, here – in towns and regions fair,
Where bleak the snow and crisp the air,
Start living here, where you left off,
'Fore Marathon and battle tough.

“Like deer on roadway – total herd –
Your old perspective's quite absurd;
To work for welfare of this town,
Sit back and take a look around.

“For you can't live the way you've been –
Address the things seen and unseen;
Your hate of spirit of this town
Is fine – don't put the people down.

“For they can't help it by and large
With evil spirit now in charge
Rebuke that spirit, cast it out
So people free may walk about.

“But enemy you'd better know
If off to battle you would go;
Sun Tzu was right in what he wrote,
And Jesus Christ in words he spoke.

Do ‘this and that’ – don't own the war,
For lots have come and gone before;
Is this town twisted? Set it straight
Before approaching pearly gate.

“I gave you tools and where-with-all
To batter down old Satan's wall;
So forward, march, remember, man,
Where Spirit walks, a walker can.”

“You showed a job that I could do,
Reluctant I to follow you;
It worked out right despite my lag;
Now what of it? Why now this sag?

“I see confusion in my terms
And what I see, it makes me squirm;
For “one I love”, a ‘mistress’ is,
With institution's kind of biz.

“An institution cannot love
Like you, O Father, up above;
(Or you my love of forty years –
Who've walked with me this vale of tears).

“Yet, it's not that, though close it seems
Assigned I was that road, which means
To me when hand on the plow I placed,
I looked not back, thus be disgraced –

“To seek a Church renewed in You;
Your will on earth as heaven too;
A faith lived out seven days a week –
That's normal Christian life to me.

“The Church, as mistress, is a tool
To help us be far less the fool
As we pick up our daily bread
Which feeds our hearts, and souls, and head.

“That Mistress is a mess, O Lord;
Through me you'd send your cleansing word,
To her that she might be restored –
Might find at end her just reward.”

“Now, Stu, just think how did you learn
Of Church restored, for which you yearn?
Was it example which you’d seen?
A tasted life – where you have been?

“No – no it was that little book –
A story of a Church which took
My word and plugged it into life –
Their tale of struggle, triumph, strife.

“Your big mistake – I understand –
You tried to make one in your land;
Instead, another way to go
Is play it out – in fiction show –

“How life could be in such a town –
Transpose to rural life around,
And fifty years on down the road;
Now rural life has different load.”

“But Lord, I want an increased touch
Of life with those I love so much;
For life has come to me these days
Through flesh and blood, amidst your praise.

“I want to live this life out now –
Not just above, in faith somehow –
I crave its blessing here below;
I want to see the things I know.

“I want to walk this vision out –
This system-mistress-vision stout –
To pioneer this paradigm
In fields, and rural world that's mine.

“I care for people living here
Who find their journey filled with fear;
Where system overwhelms their work,
And makes the wise ones seem like jerks.

“I want to come ’long side of them
Encourage, strengthen, shout ‘Amen!’
To all their efforts to survive,
And lend a hand that they might thrive.

“I want to bring Your Holy Word
To life for them – as not absurd
But full of life, as bringing joy,
Enabling tools which they employ.

“To help them see Your love for all
Extends to them, from Fall to fall;
Thanksgiving time fill out with breadth
Thanks for our inner – outer bread.”

“Stu, you, of course, can do that well –
Bring hope into this scene of hell;
Use words and photos, sight and sound,
To help folks feel My love around.

“That's fine – and you could do that task
Within the bounds which I first asked
When young – I sent you on your way –
But larger task there is today –

“I could not give it all at first;
You sought a word from Me – did thirst
To know and do My will in life –
To tell you took a road of strife –

“For no one in your group could see
What ‘Apostolic’ meant to Me;
A fit quite close was ‘missions’ route
At end of which I'd raise some doubt –

“And hope transition could be made,
So ‘old’ foundation could be laid
Anew – here in this frozen land;
Anew – once you could understand.

“For Church – that ‘Mistress’ of your speech
Needs something different from the streets
Of urban city with its slums
And challenges of Washington –

“It lacks awareness of the folks
Which make it up, whose subtle jokes
Seems strange to others in their groups
And chafes on those with different roots.

“The ‘Apostolic task’ today
Is different from what others say;
I needed you to find that out –
Experience your learning route.

“Now, as in all such research tasks,
You write them up for those who ask,
So they can take them home with them
And local life re-view again.

“To work with people stresses you,
So here's some other work to do;
Enough of ‘this and that’ you'll get,
So practical-type needs are met.

“How does One say, “Hey, one I love
I want you here, not up above?
To you words seem not quite enough
Too much of air, could use more touch –

“My words ex-pressed the universe;
My ‘Word’ fulfilled chapter and verse;
You image are – communicate –
Thus “Mamascatch!” (Oh Wow!) – create!”

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