"In the Gleaning"
After the Harvest, the Gleaning,
gathering what's left out, behind,
overlooked, even blown, thrown away,
valuing something rejected,
making do with what's found,
rescued, salvaged along the way -
recycling, thrifting, yard-saleing,
dumpster-diving -- discipling?
Jesus calling on those in whom
little or nothing generally seen?
Himself gleaned from a dung-heap?
Think it's easy being gleaned?
Lowest on food chain, closest to Earth?
Anawin, animals, littlest of living things:
Elephants fighting, grass suffering --
Who thinks we're the Only Elephant now?
O LORD, what are we human beings?
That you are even mindful of us?
Much less that you who make
everything care pointedly for us?
What are we lacking that you
make us little less than yourself?
Waste image, dominion, communion on us?
Among all exquisiting works of your hands?
A spiritual seeker should carry
two stones in a pocket. On one it
should be inscribed, "I am but dust and
ashes." On the other, "For my sake was
the world created." And the seeker
should use each stone as needed.
(Rabbi Bunam)
Shofar sounds, Jubilee echoes, all is
forgiven, again and again! "Every morning
you wake up to something that in
all eternity never was before, and
never will be again. And the you
that wakes up was never the
same before, and will never be
the same either."
(Frederick Buechner)
"We all need somebody to glean on!"
Who is not born to sharing?
Borrowing future, inheriting past?
Paul exhorting Timothy: relish your
mother, your grandmother, three
generations of faithful already!
Holding our past with their hands!
Handing past off, and on, to us all!
"Not too far away and busy with
eternal things to take notice of
one small child . . . The line still holds."
(Marie Livingston Roy)
Tiniest faiths, tiniest seeds, made up
already of everything needed to grow,
mature, bud, bloom, burst forth in fruit;
humans alone among creatures unfinished?
Anything else in all creation not been here
since everything else created --
even as we now discover anew?
Seeds represent entire civilizations,
miniaturized to fit into palms of our hands.
When a venerable seed perishes, as with
the loss of a human manuscript,
human culture dies by degrees --
vanishing seeds, vanishing species,
forests, habitats, languages, cultures --
for ravenous sake of standardized trade,
excluding thousands heirloom varieties;
monocropping, maximizing every efficiency,
patenting modified seeds, unintended
crossbreeding, intended downsizing --
We're collapsing ownership of
the land into hands of very few people.
We're indenturing farmers in different
ways -- to land and to bankers owning
the land. (William Weaver)
"We cannot do great things, only
small things with great love."
(Mother Teresa)
Word, Law, Spirit tied up in
our very beings -- guts, throats,
laughters, tears, foods, drinks --
Universal Law: "Eat, and be eaten!"
Jesus no legally "strict constructionist,"
more like "judicial activist:"
You have heard it was said of old . . .
But I say unto you! Bearing my own
witness! "Liberating renovationist!"
From illusions of past to presumptions of
future! Shocking hearers and fearers
alike: "I am the Holy One, your God,
who brought you out of bondage!"
Law for remindering, who brings
who out of what, over and over again,
"Households of Freedom," living
ecologies, working economies, out-
reaching ecumenicities, room in
each for all peoples, traditions,
"House Rules," Commandments,
fleshed and souled out, everyone
partners, partying to one another,
none finally saved, freed, healed apart,
especially cast out, or never cast in,
else insiders never rest easy, tenants
no longer serving interests of
absentee landlords, laying their
law onto others -- "The law cannot
make you love me; it can make you
take your foot off my neck!" (Dr. King)
Manly Moses, numerically nimble,
calmly declaiming, Commandments
relating to "God."
One, Creating us all from One Source,
all persons, all peoples, thus equals!
Two, Creating each directly, no lesser
gods, religions, cultures between us!
Three, Creating Name's use, for
building up, not tearing down,
blessings of life, of love, never
vain violence, docile destruction.
Four, Creating life once and each day,
timelessly, spacelessly, treasuring
holiness, task to be freed.
Commandments relating us each to
other, interpersonally, intercommunally,
world risking each instance our existence --
Five, Connecting all generations,
descendants, ascendants, inheritors
all, less like landlords sending for
harvest, fomenting world fear, of
whose rightful reapings we
rip off, more like meek
mass-inheriting Earth.
Six, Connecting to all other lives,
taking any life act of self-violence.
Seven, Connecting by words --
promises, vows, covenants, commitments,
potentially living, lasting, forever.
Eight, Connecting through
plenty for all, Earth's resources
held in common, meant to be
shared, weakest fed first,
weapons stealing from
starvingest children.
Nine, Connecting, evolving,
unfixed, unfixing, answering above,
askings below, "experimenting in
truth," trusting true-given
witness in each, seeing, hearing for
selves, brightening with believing.
Ten, Connecting World House,
Many Rooms, for us all! Together!
Beloved, Beloving Community . . . .
How forlorn our cities would be,
absent thirds of their populations,
even more in work force and kids:
Singing Spanish in this Foreign Land!
Solidarity now, sustainability then,
what wars do they wage, what
weapons brandish, what in the
world but word, work, worship?
Life, labor, love -- undocumentable?
We, they, unavoidable, inescapable?
Nation-state's long, as we see it,
not altogether constructive,
historical contribution complete?
Dinosauric? Debauched? Displaceable?
Immigration not enforceable, only
embraceable? One birthplace as
meet as another? No foreign
lands left to sing in?
Commandable people, rekindled,
smoke above Sinai, stench below
Calvary, unallured, unalloyed, with
lyings like gods from high places,
sacraments pledging allegiance,
resistance, visibly signing
where we are standing,
whom we are standing with,
whose orders we're standing under,
God helping us do no other,
releasing fruits, abundance of
Jubilee Harvest, lest landlord
go looking, less troublesome lessees!
Commanded what we are to do,
reminded what is done for us,
everything asked of us also supplied:
Following orders of one liberating,
risking death for one giving life,
obeying law justing, gospel rejoicing,
confessing to one forgiving, hearing
No from one shouting Yes!
Take! Bless! Eat! Drink!
Wash! Serve! Love! Go forth!
Not to kill but, as need be, to die!
Re-member me! Render me
present again, and again!
