(to the truth… that hesed/agape is motive, method, means & end*)
And as a child looks up to Mum, or Dad
they find their nurture in the love of them
(or else find nurture not, unless some tad
is spread around the world within the hem
of garments that are worn by others sent
by that creative love, who do their job
and treat them as their children, who have rent
their hearts, and not just garments. They won't fob
them off, as unimportant, for as such
their hearts
beat as one, with the one who made
a world of people, where folk matter much.
The one-ness grows from heaven in Earth's shade
- within the shade and cover of the flesh
of mother, as folk live within her womb.
So life on Earth, as we know it, will mesh
both parts of hell (that's life within a tomb),
and parts of heaven, "re-al-ized" inside
parameters that nurture life in young
(biology of blood, placentas hide,
yet function so to give, they are not stung!)
And life "as we now know it" quite depends
on maintenance of that togetherness,
that union, though through cord that has two ends
and will be done away with. We now bless
it for it is our lifeline, so to grow
till we come out, and then relationships
can start to be more, as good friends who know
each other well, and won't just "pass as ships
within the night", or if they must, they keep
a vigil of remember-ance themselves
to not forget, or live as though asleep
to their relationship, recall to health
their friendship, by some choice to look, or touch,
imbibe, reflect, their action is a sign
to them, if to no other very much,
a mem'ry, real-ization of design.
And he looked up1, and we might too, if we
would listen2, learn, and follow in his wake3.
A way of covenantal love4, to be
awake to his good leadership3, no fake!
Footnotes:
* Jesus Christ's raison d'etre: "For this reason I was born and came into the world: to bear witness to the truth" (John 18:37).
Paul's comment that without love no bearing witness (martyrdom) is worth anything, no faith is of avail, no communication in any language is worthwhile, and that of faith, hope and love, only love, in the end, will remain/ abide/ live-on (1 Cor 13)
Looking up
Nebuchadnezzar… lived like a beast of the field for 7 years, then at the end of that time "He looked up! And his sanity was restored to him"
Ps 121:1-2 "I look to the mountains… my help will come from YHWH who made heaven & earth"
Ps 123:1 "lord i look up to you. Up to heaven where you rule"
But as for me, I will look to the Lord, I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me. Mic 7:7 NRSV-CI
Strangely, according to the Septuagint; "Once when Jesus was by Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing before him with a drawn sword in his hand. Jesus went to him and said to him, “Are you one of us, or one of our adversaries?” He replied, “Neither; but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” And Jesus fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and he said to him, “What do you command your servant, my Lord?” The commander of the army of the Lord said to Jesus, “Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you stand is holy.” And Jesus did so. Josh 5:13-15, GRCBRENT ,NRSV-CI (know that the Septuagint is the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, made before the time of Jesus (whom I take to be God's christened Leader of Humanity; and that Hebrew Joshua is translated into Greek as 'Iesous and that that ancient Greek name is normally translated into English as Jesus)
Jesus looked up to heaven, gave thanks and broke the bread etc
Jesus looked up, gave a deep groan, or a loud cry, …(Mark 7 end)
"Look up" or "lift up your heads", (Luke 21:28)
The Greek word used in first Century Christian writings (μαθητής; pronounced mathētēs) means not simply "information learner", but in the context of either the Greek Philosophers or the Jewish Rabbis, a "way-of-life-learner, a follower, a sharer of life and their whole approach to life" ie following their leadership in life.
Jesus himself spoke of himself as a disciple or follower of the Father's will. Indeed his "family" were those who "do my father's will" (Mark 3 end)). And he said he got his cues from what he saw his father doing, as well as what he heard from his father in heaven. God's example of covenantal/ friendship love with Noah, was to make a covenant with all living flesh, by stating to Noah, and linking his statement to a tangible, well at least visible object, that drew attention to itself, and committing himself to a course of remember-ance, linking his own recall to every time he saw that object. (Maybe he also hoped that his children would follow his example. I could bet that Jesus did!).
Abraham, asked God how he could know for sure that God would act in a certain way in the future. God's response was to bind himself by a covenant promise tied to a bbq.
Bibliography:
Recent Blog posts on www.appallinglife.blogspot.com: & see their Bibliographies [e.g. bearing wit'ness; to bear with-ness; apparently a parasite; Responding to HIS initiatives.; a mate travelling through God's world; & with God]
