In The Midst....

Good morning, some three days after a 30 hour trip from my hotel in Amman, Jordan and a welcoming home in Arlington. I won't bore you with that story. It made coming home that much more appealing. I did long to be with Kay and the warmth of her love, as well with my church family who nurtured me along the way. Otherwise, there was no hurry. Savoring the experience began then, and continues today, and tomorrow, I suspect.

On that long flight from Amman, I was fortunate to have four seats in the rear of the plane to stretch out and sleep, as the plane was half empty. About two hours before we landed, I sat up and these words came to me:

IN THE MIDST

In the Midst of the Promised Land, live two peoples:
One controlling - one controlled.
But, in the end, have lost their souls:
one misguided - the other derided.
And our God weeps amongst the stones.

Within and out of the walls of concrete and steel,
Live two peoples - lost in fear:
One to feeling within itself -
And one who waits for the unknown that lies in some distant way….
And, the whole world weeps without knowing why.

Find, within the prison of the land itself,
The settlers surrounding what remains:
A vineyard, a farm, a spirit beyond belief
That challenges their presence without relief,
From energy spurred by countless souls
Who weep beside them - the living stones.

Who are the children amidst this land
Who’ve seen nothing new for decades now?
Within these walls, what they must claim
As a future, fades. They steadfastly exclaim,
“This is my home, my native land.
It’s here I’ve made my final stand.”
And God weeps and moans for the newest living stones.

In the mountains, valleys, and the seas
Lay those places where the pilgrims come
To see the ‘footsteps’ of one who practiced what he was.
The stone, the brick, and mortar, too,
Produce the walls of seasoned tones
To whispers, prayers, voices, and even a ‘harp’, too.
And our God weeps amongst the chorus.

What lies amidst the hearts and minds
Of soldiers who stand by the gates – defined -
Which are meant to withstand, contain and resist the threats
Of peoples who know no other way?
As soldiers, here and there, raise two fingers in the form of ‘V’,
In hopes of peace, harmony that might release
The guilt, the embarrassment, the regret that they must feel.
And, our God weeps beside them.

Bill
December 2007