The God who's been at work within your lives
and given you each joy that you have had
in such a way that he hoped to entice
you to connect again with him as "Dad".
He hasn't been away from you (it's true!)
though you might not have had an inkling that
the folk who've had the influences to
bring you what hope & wisdom (when you're flat)
that you could handle, understand, accept,
were those who were some way, open to him,
to life and thriving (though they may have wept),
though through their eyes he looks, his sight's not dim.
And he is talking there inside your head,
or dreams that come at night, to lead you back
to his great faithful-love (that is heséd*).
And wants to see your joy increase, not slack.
Give up your ways of seeing all this world,
and how to move ahead while we're down here.
God's chosen Leader's flag is now unfurled,
we'll learn from him, and give allegiance clear.
And what the sign is to all peoples that
he is the Human Leader picked by God
(the giver of all life) is why he's sat
just now beside creative love; he's got
a place at centre of the Universe.
God raised him from a crucifixion so
to be the Lord of life. I now rehearse
his news of who's in charge, each place I go!
Footnotes
* hesed (or khesed or chesed), is the Hebrew word for commitment-based love, a love not based on keeping one’s body appeased, but based on keeping one’s word. A faithful love, where pleasure is (strangely) maximised, by not aiming at it, but receiving it gladly as a gift from love itself, through both lover & beloved.
End Notes
Psalm 36
(Robert Alter's translation, typed from the Audio book)
Crimes utterance to the wicked within his heart:
"There is no fear of God before my eyes!"
For it caressed him with its eyes to find his sin of hatred.
The words of his mouth are mischief, deceipt. He ceased to grasp things, to do good. Mischief he plots in his bed,
takes his stand on a way of no good.
Evil he does not despise.
Lord in the heavens, your kindness &
your faithfullness to the skies…
your justice like the unending mountains,
your judgement the great abyss.
Man & beast you rescue Lord.
How dear is your kindness oh God!
And the sons of men in your wings' shadow shelter.
They will take their fill from the fare of your house,
& from your stream of delights you give them drink.
For with you is the fountain of life.
In your light, we shall see light.
Draw down your kindness to those who know you,
and your justice to the upright.
Let no haughty foot overtake me,
or the hand of the wicked repel me.
There do the doers of mischief fall,
they were toppled and could not rise!
Jesus' Apostle(Ambassador)Paul, to pagan people around Lystra & Derbe:
‘Friends, why are you doing this? We too are only human, like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them. In the past, he let all nations go their own way. Yet he has not left himself without testimony: he has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.’ Acts 14:15-17 NIVUK
Jesus' Apostle(Ambassador)Paul, to Greek Philosophers (& city leaders?) in Athens:
So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the market-place day by day with those who happened to be there. A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. Some of them asked, ‘What is this babbler trying to say?’ Others remarked, ‘He seems to be advocating foreign gods.’ They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, ‘May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: ‘People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: To an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship – and this is what I am going to proclaim to you. ‘The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. “For in him we live and move and have our being.” As some of your own poets have said, “We are his offspring.” ‘Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone – an image made by human design and skill. In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.’ Acts 17:17-19, 22-31 NIVUK
