to bear wit'ness*...

 

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(to the truth… that hesed/agape is motive, method, means & end*)

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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!

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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)

1. 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)

2. "Look up"  or "lift up your heads", (Luke 21:28)

3. 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.

4. 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]

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& GIVE YOUR ALLEGIANCE to this heralded leadership proclamation (& thus its sender, and herald)!*

 

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It's been fun spending time considering each of these five phrases in Jesus's gospel to Jewish people (according to Mk1:15):

• TIME IS FULFILLED*!

• THE KINGDOM/REIGN OF GOD('s..

• ..help) IS NEAR.

• GIVE UP YOUR OWN AGENDAS, &..

• ..GIVE YOUR ALLEGIANCE TO THIS ANNOUNCEMENT (& thus its sender and deliverer).

This reflection is about the last, the fifth, phrase (& the last part of a pair)*:

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..give your allegiance to this heralded leadership proclamation (& thus its sender, and herald)!*

---

The god, the boss, the lord, of me, & us

must be identified by  evidence

(that's worthy of what changes, & what fuss,

will be demanded now & future). Hence,

since all such do exist, they'll understand

our need to think well, then to weigh up too,

about the truth of each claim & demand;

the honesty, integrity of who

announces, or declaims, or prophesies,

communications to us from the God

(by which I mean creative love which tries

to grow more that in people who have got

the special right & claim of "likeness" to

this same creative love which sources all,

that has authority that's good and true.

And humans have ability to haul

the world into a curs'ed state, it seems,

as leaders, though we may have need to foll-

-ow leaders from amongst us, as we deem

such as have earned the right, that are not holl-

ow. But have proved by quality of life

(& death, if that could be achieved as well);

their wisdom and consistency both rife,

as carpenter who used to truly dwell

in Nazareth, a village  occupied

both by some foreign forces, & by his

own fam'ly who must build where men have tried

to build before, one fam'ly, with one biz-

ness to get on, and set the world arights,

that's starting with a fire of wind & flame

to burn the rubbish, or with cleansing rites,

to clean us up, and set us off again!

In new creation, new relationships -

the old attempts must now be done away,

and new allegiances be formed, and trips

and falls be overcome, wisely today!

He's now been set apart by God Most High,

this human ruler chosen to reveal

the kind of life creative love lets fly

with wisdom, in a resurrection deal.

But furthermore, on being raised up, to

send back his spirit, breath or wind, as an

alongsider, a counselor, one who

would teach and guide, to grow each woman/ man.

Creator, Father, of his children here,

has designated One as Lord of Earth,

and Sky, & Death & Life. For he is near,

this Jesus, picked as Christ before his birth.

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*    as Jesus said: "‘But you are not to be called “Rabbi”, for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth “father”, for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Christ." Matthew 23:8‭-‬12 Where Christ was the Greek word for the Hebrew concept of Messiah, & both simply meant anointed. An ancient ritual for designating, and making leadership public to those present. Leadership, as king, prophet, priest, in ancient Isra'el and surrounding nations. THE CHRIST came to be expected as the leader of all leaders, i.e. king, prophet, priest (& priestly sacrifice), with a new style of leadership, serving! As Jesus continues: "The[b] greatest among you will be your servant. 12 And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted"

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GIVE UP YOUR AGENDAS, &...

---

It's been fun spending time considering each of these five phrases in Jesus's gospel to Jewish people (according to Mk1:15):

• TIME IS FULFILLED*!

• THE KINGDOM/REIGN OF GOD('s ..

• ..help)..IS NEAR.

• GIVE UP (YOUR OWN AGENDAS), &..

•  ..GIVE YOUR ALLEGIANCE TO THIS ANNOUNCEMENT (thus, who sent it, & is deliv'ring it).

This reflection is about the second last, the fourth, phrase* (which is part of a pair):

---

give up (your own agendas)!*

---

The hardest thing of all's to let go or

to drop a goal that's once determined on,

a course of action, plan, or purpose for

displaying in this world some thought now gone,

but still to be embodied here by choice

of human. [One human likeness (child) of love

& creativity could hear their voice-

-es true & kind, on breath from up above.]

Our destiny appears to be "like God";

but either fakely, "undead", or  "in truth".

The "undead" will concern themselves with what

their own de-si-res are. That is their roof.

Or more, I say, their limit, glass ceiling.

But children of creative love "in truth",

are disciplined and coached and their willing

will supercede desire. They're raised unroofed.

 

Still sheltered by their Dad, he is their coach,

who's glorious, adventurous, & bold.

For glory, honour, praise, comes his reproach.

And all who're raised above, can do as told.

But not just by society at large,

they're "picky" 'bout the spirit of the thing.

And how & why they do things. They don't barge

in. Timing is important, and they sing!

And yet somehow, it feels to be a death,

miscarriage before birth of what's conceived,

when humans must submit what they give breath

to, to another god (they've not received).

And thus this leader of humanity,

outlines that good responses must include

a shameful death, a giving up what we

already worked out on our own, "The Dude",..

.. or "Dude-ess", or some other kind of "Thing" - 

the very point is "self determ'ning's not

our starting point" - too small & limiting.

It comes before the end; & thus has got

a place, but that's determined by crea-

-tive love itself (which never is alone).

It turns out that "a human" has a place

as cell in bigger "body",  in the zone

of white cell (macrophage) in human's blood.

The fake is just amoeba in the soil.

To be the first, we must give up the flood 

of our agendas that are "on the boil".

But that can prob'ly only be achieved

when it's done (as a scissor blade works well)

along with coach^ who's trusted, and believed

in, with the creds, not just red-tape from hell.

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* Mark uses the Greek word μετανοεῖτε (metanoeite). This is a verb - Present Imperative Active - 2nd Person Plural of an original word μετανοέω (Greek = about turn, change of heart/ mind/ view). The concept of turning leaves open the questions: What in fact is being turned from, & what to? That has to be worked out from the context. In Jesus' story & the story of Israel, the answer might be seen as Genesis chapters 1-6, where the route to human maturity is seen as a turning from choosing on the basis of  their own desires, and to choosing on the basis of the will of God communicated through word. Jesus himself is portrayed as a human who took this narrow way, and therefore has the creds to train us in taking it too.

Various pictures employed by scripture of the way forward for us now, might be: 

• letting God wash away our old culture, (the flood) or 

• perhaps taking off your old clothes, and washing, before putting on clean fresh clothes. Or 

• maybe coming out the birth canal, cutting the old way of getting life (the umbilical chord), being washed, and starting to live life from the beginning again, in a whole fresh way. Not "doing away" with Mum now, just receiving her help (& Dad's), in a fresh way.

Jesus made no secret of the fact that this change, or birth, or cutting might be painful. In fact, according to him, it might best be likened to a crucifiction. In fact that might well have been why he had to go through his own batism(s), his "washing away", "cleaning up", his "shameful death on a cross", not because HE needed it personally, but because WE did, and he was serious when he said "follow me". He would lead us through whatever WE needed to go through. He clarified this for his disciples, some of whom at that time could not see crucifiction (a shameful death) ahead (for him, or them): 

“The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and experts in the law, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.” Then he said to them all, “If anyone wants to become my follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it benefit a person if he gains the whole world but loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. Luke 9:22‭-‬26

And, look at Mark's fuller, rawer, rendition of this same instance:

Then Jesus began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and experts in the law, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He spoke openly about this. So Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But after turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan. You are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but on man’s.” Then Jesus called the crowd, along with his disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wants to become my follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and for the gospel will save it. For what benefit is it for a person to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his life? What can a person give in exchange for his life? For if anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” Mark 8:31‭-‬38 NET 

^  Some new theories of the left & right brain hemispheres and the way they can work together well, paint a picture that is for me a great analogy of how humans are meant to function with and under God: e.g. Ian McGilchrist's book: The Master and His Emmissary, which proposes a picture (derived with the benefit of many studies) of the Right Brain Hemisphere being partly specialized for attention to & understanding of the world we live in, and our place within it, it is paired with its Left Brain Hemisphere which is partly specialized to make language, categorize, and break complex tasks down to chunks that are achieveable. Both are needed to affect the world well, and need to communicate through the part that joins the two hemispheres (the corpus callosum). Without the RHS, the LHS is myopic and constrained, more like technology without the ability to consider what is best from an overall perspective (I climbed the ladder, but it was on the wrong wall).. Without the LHS the views of the world and new potentialities which the RHS perceives, are not achieved, and made reality. Some of the ways the brain hemispheres work together are by transmitters that hinder activity in other parts of the brain, and especially in a similar part on the other side. The way the Right Hemisphere inhibits some of the mechanics of the Left Hemisphere is what is being addressed in this concept of "give up your own agendas".

But, too, recall the proverb: all analogies limp.

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