Harvest

Harvest  2010 

‘As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come’  Mark4 v29

An harvest has come.

In their season, fledgling crops

surrogately mothered

by hand and machine,

become bound

stored and sheltered:

‘safely gathered in’.

In season, maturity’s ripeness,

is elected

before another’s season,

in weathered coup,

steals the scene.

Some small token

find their way

into tradition,

thankfulness,

and the compass

of praise.

An inadequate tithe

to the store

of love.

sometimes as shepherds

Sometimes as shepherds.

Sometimes as shepherds afraid, grimy,
ashamed of our shabbiness
we approach the manger-cross.
Sometimes as kings, haughty, self-assured
confident of our position
we approach the manger-cross.

Sometimes as shepherds.
And we come,
shepherds,
slowly, and still in fear
nothing to offer, nothing of worth,
to this manger-cross holy place:
set aside in time and space for purpose.
Each forward step
a warming, glowing friendship greets us.
Each step closer to tears,
each broken-hearted step
a step closer to the mending heart of God.

Sometimes as kings.
And we come,
kings,
purposeful and determined
gold-incense present-carrying
to this manger-cross holy place:
set aside in time and space for purpose.
Each forward step
a disarming, glowing furnace melts our offering.
Each step closer to fear
each fear inducing step
a step closer to the restoring heart of God.

Sometimes as shepherds,
though mostly as kings,
we come to our places of manger-cross:
in church, at home, at the unexpected moment,
to receive
not the Christmas present
but
the ever present
Christ.

Tree

tree

Not my day, not my moment.

Withered, blighted, cursed.

"To everything there is a season",

I was not ready,this was not mine !

I soaked up the sunshine

lazy days of being.

.

When the gaze fell my way

I wasn't looking,

didn't respond.

I could scream !

This is not reasonable;

this call to unseasonal duty.

This is not responsible,

Your gaze challenged a miracle

but I did not respond.

.

"To everything there is a season"

the King of seasons

says

now is the time.

Mark 11 vs 12-14
The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry.
Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs.
Then he said to the tree, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again."