not far to fall by Pastor Erling Shultz

 

…a woman…came out and started shouting…

But he did not answer her at all.

…she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.”

                                                                                                              Matt 15:22-25

 

not far to fall                                                                                          Erling Shultz, August 2020

 

the struggle continues for some;

          to be seen, to be heard, to be touched –

               to have a seat at the table of life

the resistance continues for some;

          to be included, accepted, respected –

               to have compassion granted:

     it’s not far to fall

               when caught in humanities scarcity farce

 

so what do you do with an outspoken outsider?

     what do you do with an annoying intruder?

     what do you do with a persistent seeker of acceptance?

          all just hoping for some equity scraps:

because –

     what’s another scornful snub,

                 another hurtful slur,

                 another slap of denial?

          all meant to send one to the floor:

when you’re already kneeling,

     it’s not far to fall

 

when you’re on your knees you’re already near

               the crumbs of –

          leftover liberties, cast aside care, forgotten grace,

               unaware abundance:

     it’s not far to fall

 

so what do you do when you hear the vulnerable scream?

     what do you do when you hear the hungry crumble?

     what do you do when you see the excluded kneel?

          all just waiting for the seat next to you:

when your knee is already bent,

     it’s not far to sit

               at the table of neighborly love

power perversion 06.07.2020

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…

[go; baptize, teach, remember]

in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

                                                                                                              Matt 28:19-20

power perversion                                                                                      Erling Shultz, June 2020

Jesus empowered and en-tasked

     toward justice living and mercy giving:

simple instructions to build a Kingdom,

     altered to ‘build it and they shall come’

          so we might sit in the power inherent;

simple instructions of go –

          baptize, teach, remember;

     casting aside the for what, for why, for who

          so we might focus on the authority delivered

tis time, once again, to self-examine our empowering;

     who do we baptize, what do we teach,

          and what essential have we failed to remember?

a trinitarian power outpouring

          to transform the world

     hapless seized for white dominion,

          and all that is left is a specialness illusion

(an intrinsic hate separateness

 ineptly preserving what was never theirs)

a trinitarian power sent out

          to engage and connect,

          to relate and include,

     humbly passed on to those on the edge,

          is the divine/human communion

(dignity raising of the other

 gives rise to the dignity we already have)

our Breath, Life, Spirit

     abides, engages, enfleshes, empowers

          particularly manifest in mass mutuality

Holy disorientation 05.29.2020

And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind…

All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages...

                                                                                                                                   Acts 2:2,4

Holy disorientation                                                                                   Erling Shultz, May 2020

Pentecost Power is not always subtle and polite,

Pentecost Power is Planned pandemonium

the Wind blows pass official channels;

     God speaks instead

          outside the temple walls,

          outside political power halls,

          outside conservative/liberals’ stalls;

     God speaks in the streets;

the Wind rushes through you and I

Pentecost Power cares not for order and structure,

Pentecost Power is Controlled chaos

the Breath grants life where it will;

     Divinity protests

          those who seek God to restrict,

          those who marginalize voices constrict,

          those who claim judgment predict;

     Divinity protects on the edge;

the Breath inspires them and all

Pentecost Power seems not providential,

Pentecost Power is Holy disorientation

     (in hope of a collective reorientation)

rebellious rejoicing 4.23.2020

Worship the Lord with gladness,

come into his presence with singing.

                                                                                           Psalm 100:2

rebellious rejoicing                                                                                   Erling Shultz, April 2020

worthy of honor and praise is Presence

     for acceptance and love is the core Essence

make a joyful noise…all the earth

          is our call to a revolution:

     let us rejoice,

               in spite of violence injustice;

     let us be glad,

               in face of hate oppression;

     let us sing,

               in challenge of viral depression;

make a joyful noise…all the earth

          is our rise to a rebellion: 

     come with ringing,

               to silent noise of repression;

     come with shouting,

               to mute static of suppression;

     come with caroling,

               to still speech of exclusion

we are [Presence] people;

     tasked with the universal intention,

     sharing the essence of creation;

          harmony, peace, grace, and love

we are [Presence] people;

     affirmation bound to our belonging,

     identity found in rebellious rejoicing;

          so all might journey to their Presence Home

we tend to love the things we ought to use,

and use the things we ought to love. Augustine

         

closet to chaos 4.16.2020

…whenever you pray,

go into your room and shut the door…

                                                                                                    Matt 6:6

closet to chaos                                                                                           Erling Shultz, April 2020

it seems extreme

          this dark hiding away

     in effort to veil any sanctimony,

     (when any theological practice is hypocrisy)

isn’t this just an excuse

          for invisible Christians?

     doesn’t ring true,

     doesn’t sound right,

          till one considers

          one’s tone in the light

prayer’s not

     for approval or evaluation,

          but meant to alter our attention;

prayer is

     an openness to divine presence,

          with honesty/integrity the valued essence;

     (about the content and not the delivery)

prayer in

     shadowy private practice

          should lead to a faithful public witness;

prayer from

     the still and quiet closet,

          will change a world awash in chaos

         

resurrection rock

They had been saying to one another,

“Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?”

When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large,

had already been rolled away.

                                                                                                                  Mark 16:3-4

resurrection rock                                                                                     Erling Shultz, April 2019

grave stones in still, silent vigil

     guard unfinished business –

          broken promises, betrayals, secrets, resentments…

grave stones meticulously maintained

     lest they loose their grip,

          indicting those in what was left unsaid, undone

resurrection rock rolls noisily aside

     gaping in reception –

          sins, shame, fear, doubts…

resurrection rock cares for its own,

     depth enough to hold all discards,

          freeing past and present toward life and peace

         

see what?

Mary Magdalene and the other Mary

went to see the tomb.

                                                                                           Matthew 28:1

see what?                                                                                                   Erling Shultz, April 2020

(one tends to see

          what one thinks possible,

     one resists to see

          what one thinks not)

Mary’s two tomb travel to see;

     I ponder, see what?

          what is the expectation,

          and what is not?

the duet has already seen

     much that mystifies the rational mind:

          healings,

          raisings,

          feedings,

          changings;

     do they think it’s possible, a

          rising? 

(one in white affirms their quest,

     but a Jesus laying or standing

     remains quest unspecified)

or could it be they come to see

     not with an eye,

           but with the mind?

the pair may come to the tomb site

     to grapple and contemplate:

          understanding,

          comprehending,

          instructing,

          meaning;

     do they think it’s possible, a

          purposing?

but could it be they come to see

     as simply to encounter,

          in any way and any form?

the couple comes to meet whatever may be

     in physical and/or spiritual sense:

          hearing,

          remembering,

          touching,

          sending;

     do they think it’s possible, a

          calling?