When anyone hears the word of the kingdom.
And does not understand it.
The evil one does come.
And snatches away it.

This is what was sown.
On the path.
Our fate is sown.
But who knows our path.

As for what was sown on good earth.
This is the one who hears the word and understands it.
Are we sown on good earth.
And the word, do we understand it.

Where are we sown.
Ah, all that is an unknown.

…….

Where then are we sown
Is it on the path or earth
We just do not know

……

See Mathew 13: 18-23

I am the true vine.
And my father is the vine  dresser.
He keeps us in the celestial line.
And for that we are the no lessor.

We are not on our own.
We are merely the many leaves.
He is our root though barely known.
And we will be gathered up in sheaves.

One day after reaping and stacking.
In the book we will be entered
Our faults held up for numbering.
In the celestial field , stood up and judged.

As the farmer says for stooking.
Before threshing and sorting.

……

We will be gathered
Held upright for our reaping
And the at last judged

……

See John 15: 1-8

On my bed at night.
I sought him whom my soul loves.
Endlessly praying, seeking the light.
Dead end thinking in droves.

I sought him whom my soul loves.
I sought him but found him not.
Thought racing , seeking celestial doves.
Trying to untie the doubting knot.

We are praying.
And we are seeking.
Meditating.
Partly understanding.

Yet still in our heart we know he is thinking.
Caring and listening.

…….

On our bed at night
We seek him whom our soul loves
We pray he’s listening

….  …

See Song of Solomon 3 : 1-4

Shepherd your people, Lord with your staff.
The flock of your inheritance.
He does everything on our behalf.
Against all happenstance.

Do we follow.
His call comes gently in the night.
When all else seems hollow.
Here is hope’s flickering light.

His word, we barely hear.
But it is there.
All can be clear.
Banishing all fear .

But do we listen.
To this salvation do we hasten.

….

Shepherd your people
Flock of your inheritance
Salvation for all

….

See Micah 7

An evil generation seeks a sign

An evil generation seeks a sign
But no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah.
We ourselves ceaselessly seek a sign.
Although we travel far.From Plato onwards we ask.
Is there an immortal soul.
In his Meno that is his task.
Socrates poses the learner’s paradox but we do have a soul.

Jonah was three nights in the belly of the sea.
So will the Son of Man be three nights in the earth.
Can we not see.
We will emerge from the earth.

So we search with philosophy.
But we cannot learn everything from philosophy or chemistry.

……

We all seek a sign
Will a sign be given us
We just have to hope

……

See Mathew 12 : 38-41

The man who sows the good seed.
Is the son of man.
Do we follow his lead.
Whatever is our span.

The field is the world.
And the good seed is the sons of the kingdom.
We  plough our own furrough in that world.
As we seek the only everlasting kingdom.

The weeds are the sons of the evil one.
And the enemy who sowed them is the devil.
We just have to resist that one and turn to the one.
We will defeat the devil.

…..

Who sows the good seed
It is the true son of man
We follow his lead

…..

See Mathew 13: 24-33

A Bruised reed he will not break.
And a smouldering wick he will not quench.
Until he brings justice to victory for our sake.
And in his name, hope for the gentiles he will not quench.

We are that bruised reed.
And that smouldering wick.
He is always there when we are in need.
Or when we are lonely or sick.

He will proclaim justice for the gentiles.
He will not quarrel or cry aloud.
And we are those gentiles.
Just part of his saved forever crowd.

He will mend us.
And enlighten us.

….

We are that bruised reed
And we’re that smouldering wick
And he will save us

…..

See Matthew 12: 14-21

His disciples were hungry.
And they plucked ears of corn to eat.
Are we spiritually hungry.
Where will we find our true and final seat.

Look, said the Pharisees.
Your disciples are doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath.
Are we those judging like the Pharisees.
Saying what can and cannot be done on the Sabbath.

Better to be kind.
And loving.
Forgiving not blind.
Accepting.

We should give mercy .
As we desire mercy.

….

Are we really kind
And then truly merciful
Or do we just judge

….

See Matthew 12: 1-8

I thank you Lord that you have hidden.
These things from the wise and understanding.
And revealed them to the little children bidden.
With open non judgmental hearing.

Are we like children.
Or are we high and mighty.
Not ready to listen.
Intellectually proud. Haughty.

We’re too wise, we sometimes say, for all this.
Is it, we worry, mere legend.
But theres something we miss.
Have faith, this truly is the beginning and the end.

Take the leap.
And never again weep.

……

Are we like children
Are we prepared to accept
Perhaps then we should

……

See Mathew 11: 25-27

Be careful , be quiet , do not fear.
And do not let your heart be faint.
No need to worry or shed a tear.
Even though we are no saint.

If you are not firm in faith.
You will not be firm at all.
Yes our faith is a wraith.
We have not sufficiently answered the call.

Isaiah is a stern master.
He keeps us on the straight and narrow.
But then he is poetry’s master.
We can barely follow his furrow.

Is our faith firm.
What will the judge say at the end of our term.

….

So is our faith firm
And yes are we firm at all
Well we do our best

…..

See Isaiah 7: 1-9

Do not think that I have come to bring peace.
To the earth.
I have not come to bring peace.
But the sword to the earth.

What does Jesus mean.
Surely he is a man of peace.
With nothing petty or mean.
Striving for love without cease.

He says, whoever does not take up my cross.
And follow me.
with that cross.
is not worthy of me.

That is just what he asks.
What mighty tasks.

..  …

We take up the cross
We try to follow Jesus
For that is our task

..    ..

See Mathew 10: 34-11:1

Some seed fell into good soil.
And yielded its fruit.
We toil.
And we search for our spiritual route.

God’s ever flowing river
Brims over.
We are caught in that flowing river.
Trying again over and over.

You crown the year with your bounty.
Abundance flows in your pathways.
We walk searching from county to county.
There are many different salvation ways.

But we pray to fall into good soil.
Yielding , abundant spiritual harvests after all our toil.

….

Where will the seed fall
Will it be caught in nettles.
Or fall in good soil

….

See Psalm 65

Anyone who has left brothers or sisters.
Will receive a hundredfold.
Mothers , fathers.
We fear to leave ourfold.

But we are happy where we are.
We want to stay in our family.
Or never to wander far.
And leave everything we love entirely.

We are not St Benedict.
We will not become monks.
This world , we will not contradict.
And let’s face it , we’re full of funks.

But we are who we are.
Happy in our mediocrity to be what we are.

……

See St Benedict
Ready to go the full length
But we are just us

…..

See Mathew 19: 27-29

I am sending you out as sheep among wolves.
So be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.
We ask , what really solves.
Where are our true loves.

Are we those sheep
Are we being sent out.
What wisdom can we keep.
Are we silent or prepared to shout.

Are we wise.
Innocent.
Do we resist all lies.
Content.

But we have to go out.
And not be nervous or put out.

……

We ask are we wolves
Or we ask are we the sheep
For the wolves are there

……

See Mathew 10: 16-23

You received without paying.
Give without pay.
You don’t need to be worrying.
What will we have , who can say.

What is the point of materialism.
We can take nothing with us.
It’s just another beguiling ism.
Something not really for us.

Aquire no gold or silver.
No bag for your journey.
All these possessions a mere sliver.
To be discarded at the end of our journey.

So we keep travelling
And being satisfied with praying.

….

We give without pay
We received without paying
Just be generous

…..

See Matthew 10: 7-15

Proclaim as you go saying.
The kingdom of God is at hand.
Are we proclaiming.
That the kingdom of God is at hand.

Well, we go through the motions.
Go to church, perhaps not every week.
Indulging our emotions.
Knowing our faith is weak.

But we can proclaim the kingdom.
Is that so very difficult.
Perhaps something we do all too seldom.
But we keep going even if life is difficult.

We can do very little.
But maybe that’s not so little.

….

Proclaim the kingdom
Follow spiritual roads
And just do our best

……

See Matthew 10: 1-7

With their silver and gold.
They made idols for their own destruction.
Their birthright was sold.
Into temptation.

The prophet Hosea writes at a time of plenty.
And in good times people forget God.
Indeed when it comes to false idols there are plenty.
Do we need then any God.

We find this in our time.
We can do this on our own.
We are not even worried about the passing of time.
We forget all this is a loan.

We always need God.
And we are needed by God.

……

In our own good times
We feel we do not need God
But yes we need Gid

……

See Hosea 8

They will recount your goodness and might.
They will recall your abundant goodness.
Or so the psalm tells us, that we are in the right.
That we are the true essence.

They have discovered two Bronze Age skeletons.
They are of lovers facing each other.
What now of their passions.
But even in burial there was their abiding love for each other.

All our love and hate
They all pass away.
We can praise or berate.
Come , go or stay.

But one day soon we will be merely a skeleton.
No flesh and blood, only a skeleton.

…..

What will we become
We will be a skeleton
No more and no less

……

See Psalm 145

I thank you Lord that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding.
And revealed them to little children.
All this is very revealing.
For our faith needs to be like that of children.

I am at St Augustines well
The water gently flowing.
The stone flags in salute still.
The Ages unknowing.

Here St Augustine found the spring.
It’s reputed he offered beer or water.
And they answered water hence the spring
Of ever flowing holy water.

And here at Cernel, God’s decision, now we are standing.
Questioning legend but peace believing.
A moment’s quiet peace.

…..

St Augustine’s well
The everlasting water
Our own baptism

..  …

See Mathew 11: 25-30

Why do we and the Pharisees fast.
But your disciples.
Do not fast.
And neither do we fast.

Fasting.
Is not the key.
It is loving.
That we must see.

Love your God.
Love your neighbour.
Pray to God.
Help your neighbour.

If we just fast.
We will not last.

……

Are we then to fast
Fasting is just not enough
We must be loving

……

See Matthew 9: 14-17

Jesus said to the paralytic.
Your sins are forgiven.
We are our worst critic.
We never feel ourselves striven.

In some way we are all paralysed.
Perhaps not physically but mentally.
We are over analysed.
Feeling we must pay some penalty.

Grief , fear , worry.
Relationship.
Disappointment, regret and anxiety.
We struggle to get a grip.

But we can get up and walk.
If we let Jesus talk.

….

We’re all paralysed
Physically, mentally
But we can be cured

.. ….

See Matthew 9: 1-8

To one whose way is blameless.
I will show the salvation of God.
We do not need to be restless.
Be calm in the presence of God.

It is the feast of the dedication of the Cathedral.
And we are at the luminescence.
Ode to joy fills the cathedral.
And amazing light seeks its essence.

One day this building will be finished.
The ceiling covered in gold mosaics.
Beauty to be praised and relished.
Poetry and music elegiacs.

In sound and light we are immersed.
A moment to be cherished.

…..

Immersed sound and light
He cathedral is living
And for all of us

……

See Psalm 50

Save us Lord , we are perishing.
And he said, why are you afraid O you of little faith.
We are the same, always worrying, complaining.
How we wish we had more faith.

Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea.
And there was a great calm.
Can’t we understand , can’t we see.
If we believe , we will experience great calm.

And the men marvelled.
Saying what kind of man is this that winds obey him.
Have we marvelled.
Do we seek him and obey him.

……

The sea obeys him
But do we obey him too
Then only we know

……

See Matthew 8: 23-27