Mark Scandrette

You said the reign of love
is a seed planted deep within
growing like a virus
bringing greater wholeness
making all things new again

But from where we stand
all we can see
is the dirt where your promises lay buried:
We see dark clouds approaching
land that is scarred by greed
We see the wounds and suffering
of women, men and children aching
for a kingdom coming
that can’t come soon enough

We are the soil where your promises lay hidden
We are the sons and daughters of creation
Together we grown in frustration
until the green shoots and ripe fruits of your kingdom
become as real on earth
as they are in heaven

Awaken our imaginations
for the reign of love that is more real
than the fears and doubts we feel
Give us courage to name and enjoy
all the gifts the earth reveals.
Lead us to places where our hands and our words
can sooth and heal
Today we enter the dance,
entranced by your invitation
to offer every part of our bodies
to collaborate in your choreography

We wait for sunlight
We pray for rain
We lie awake in the night
with growing pains.

Lord, finish the work you began
with the first coming of the chosen one.
Lord, finish the work you began
before the creation of our world

Leaves of a ginko tree
yellowed by the autumn frost
scattered across the cold grounds
of the university
A harvest moon rising in the eastern sky
close enough to touch from the highway
hanging low on the horizon
in the dying glow of twilight

The gentle laughter of a small child
as she tiptoes across the carpet
in the newness of early morning.

The nimble, muscular gate of a deer
passing through the thicket
floating in mid-air for a fleeting second
as she leaps across the ravine
startled by our presense

I have seen these sights a thousand times
and each time they remind me
of where I have been
and why I am still running
after the echo of your voice
calling my name
in the empty streets of a silent winter night