The Lost Tooth

Joe, at six, has struggled to eat,
As his front tooth has grown ever more loose.
I suggested he pull it.

He gripped it and tugged,
And there it came.

“I didn’t know if I could get it.
It was so sheer!”

Definition:
Especially of a cliff or wall:
Perpendicular, or nearly so.

He found le mot juste.
Well done, son.

How to Respond to That?

Sitting at a table with:
A doula in training, mother of two;
A childbirth instructor in training, mother of five;
A mother of six;
Godly women all,
Intent on raising their children well,
And doing an excellent job.

One said to me:
“I dreamed you were pregnant,
And I was your doula.”

And my favorite 18-year-old
Said, “I think it would be hard to be your doula.
You are so wise, so knowledgeable….”

As I sat at table with
Godly women all.

Cost of Ministry

I am learning that to minister
Means to absorb pain
And return charity
And understanding.

This is impossible to do perfectly,
So for me it also means
A lot of days where I wander the house
Looking glum. Feeling glum!

The Triumphal Entry

I.
A donkey is not a tall animal.
A colt is smaller still,
Perhaps the size of a large dog.

What ludicrous picture is this,
The king riding with his feet dragging?

II.
I appreciate that Jesus chose an animal
Never before sat on,
An echo, perhaps, of Adam and Eve in the garden,
Of his time of testing in the wilderness
When he was with the wild beasts.

A glimpse of the peaceable kingdom.

III.
He ascends, to acclaim.
Blessed is the king,
Peace in heaven,
Glory in the highest!

Had the people held their peace,
The stones would have cried out.

And then the king weeps.

Sitting on the ridiculous donkey,
Surrounded by the joyful throng,

The King
Cries.

Peace is not come.

Death is coming.

Clinging

I left the house before all were awake.
Caleb was one awake,
And he noticed I was gone
As the door squeaked closed.

He cried, I heard later, most of the time
For the next six hours.

When I walked in finally, he ran to me,
Clung to my legs before I could set down
Sweatshirt, boxes, purse.

The crying continued.
The clinging continued.

I expect tomorrow will be more of the same.

I don’t go away often.
And when I do, I know there is a price
We all pay.

Exodos

Who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem.

Jesus, transfigured, spoke with Elijah and
Moses of his decease, his exodos,
Which he should accomplish at Jerusalem.

His exodus.

He was going to Jerusalem to leave.

Moses led the slaves to freedom,
A shadow of things to come.

Jesus leads slaves to freedom yet.
Greater than Moses is come.

Received Up

And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem.

Jesus set his face like flint.
The time was come.

He should be received up.
Here I have always pictured the crucifixion—
As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,
Even so must the Son of man be lifted up.

But the Greek is the word also translated

Ascension

Which offers a new layer of meaning.
The time was come to return to his father.
The time was come for death-resurrection.
The time was come to lose to win

Permanently.