Sunday 11 October 2015

Advent Poem 2015 - Mary sought the Lord...

After my poetic accomplishments on Saturday, I was challenged - on Sunday - by a lovely church member, to write something for Advent, which is fast upon us.


Seek and find (Advent 2015)

Mary sought the Lord

Domestically.

A child that learned

How skirts brush distant dreams.


Mary sought the Lord

And found that angels come,

regardless,

telling servant now that God is near.


Mary sought the Lord

Elizabeth replied,

 exclaimed that God is found

In such a gentle womb.


Mary sought the Lord

And heard old Anna,

Simeon, say what prophets

long foretold.

 
Mary sought the Lord

For meaning,

Stories, gifts and foreign kings

and fleeing kept her low.


Mary sought the Lord

Just mothering and wondering

What

special child she nursed.


Mary sought the Lord

But he was doing Father’s work,

and other mothers, sisters, brothers,

too.


Mary sought the Lord

Pale death, was hung upon a tree and

John was near her now.

She wept.


Mary sought the Lord

Redemption, glorious

Risen!

Pierced hearts now full of Spirit and of Word.

©JCV 12-Oct-2015

Poem "Limping, standing tall"

We all have struggles.  But struggling with God is another thing altogether.
The Bible is full of stories of men and women who wrestled with their faith - and with God - literally as well as metaphorically.
I wrote this after a long period of "wrestle" - which God won - because he is God and he WILL win (sooner or later), or cease to be God. It is my firm belief which I read from the Bible.
Identification with the Biblical figures comes from a life of reading the Bible and meditating on their honesty, joys, troubles, trials, mistakes and accomplishments.  They were human.  They speak to me.
Letting God speak through them is the key.


Limping standing tall:

I am Jonah. I am Peter.

I am Moses. I am Paul.

I have fought with God like Jacob -

Yes, I’ve limped like him –

and crawled.

I have doubted and I’ve ranted

and I’ve tried to do it all.

Then I listened and I wondered -

Now I’m answering Your call.

I am following You, Jesus -

Still I’m limping, standing tall;

For the touch You rent inside me,

makes regret of all my gall.

 

You have broken me, Lord Jesus –

put my back against the wall;

And I’ve stumbled and I’ve crumbled,

so towards You now I fall.

You are Saviour; You are Helper;

You are Guiding, Guarding Light;

You are Purifying Fire;

You are Comfort in the night.

 

Jesus help me, Jesus help me –

Help me! keep me, now I call.

Keep me close to You Lord Jesus –

You’re my everything, my All.


28.04.14 JCV

This poem won "Second Prize", senior division, in the Anglican Diocese of Brisbane inaugural 'Spoken Worship Poetry Competition', October 2015.

Poem "Leaving without grace"

This is a poem I wrote some years ago now, after visiting the women's psychiatric ward in the town where I was living in Morocco.  Mental illness is not treated nicely in most places but especially not in the developing world.  Women - and children - are very vulnerable. 
Under the law, 'repudiation' means a woman may be divorced with only a few words and cast out onto the street to beg, or to prostitution.  Often, women fleeing violence or simply refusing to obey family will be put under psychiatric care.  Being different is not acceptable, nor is fighting the status quo.
Jesus, however, set about to turn the Jewish law on its head when he preached grace and repentance.
This poem is based on the story of The Woman Caught in Adultery, from the Gospel according to John, chapter 8, verses 2-11.


Leaving without grace by Jo Vandersee, April 2004, Morocco.
Edited 2015

PART 1 - The Pharisees

We all walked away.

Turned our backs and went away.

Couldn’t bear the things He’d said –

Tried to shut them out instead.

His head bowed and looking down

As He scratched upon the ground.

We just couldn’t stand and stay –

So we turned and walked away.


She was crouching, not too near,

Clutching shreds and clutching fear.

Her head too was hanging down

She was waiting for the sound

Of rocks to whistle through the air

But that sound just wasn’t there.

They had turned and walked away –

They just could not bear to stay –

“Where are those who condemn you, woman?”

“I don’t know, my Lord, I…” –

“Nor do I condemn you – go now –

Leave that way and sin no more now”.


PART 2 – The woman

They had no idea of what had taken place –

They just all got up and left there - without grace.

They just couldn’t bear to see the look on that naked woman’s face.

They had tried to have her killed but then they all gave up the chase.

She was now covered with His robe and with His grace –

She was so very frightened to look up into that space

Where before those angry men had loudly broadcast her disgrace;

But now a Man with His true words had given grace –

And she believed it – as it filled that empty space

Inside her heart, to go and change her filthy lace

For garments made of righteousness and grace.


PART 3 – The rest of us

 We are leaving, just like they did, without grace,

When we fail to see small miracles take place,

When we ‘box’ the love of God into our invented space,

When we imagine that there is not enough of grace

For the ragged, tired and lonely, for the difficult and dirty,

for the handicapped and homeless, for the masses and

the multitudes that beg and cry for freedom from

the devil’s cold embrace.

It’s our job to touch this world – one by one, day by day –

With a touch that enters their space –

With a look that then expresses all the love that’s on His face,

So we never walk away and leave that woman – any woman, ANYBODY –

without grace.

 (received 'Highly Commended' award at the inaugural Anglican Diocese of Brisbane 'Spoken Worship Poetry Competition', October 2015, Senior division)