the way of all flesh

(x = space)

x

x

the way of all flesh

x

I thought about the title

first

title of a play

before that

something scriptural

x

three to five acts

the sphinx’s riddle gives us

four

x

there are tickets

paid

throughout mortality

the kind that

with a kind of magic

should become

the summons

of a claim

on erosion

loss of property

with less

with which

to pay

for greater need

x

but who

will be our advocate

who

will pay

x

there is no way

in this

unless history

plus the present

and guesses toward the future

should break

for a while

then reassembled

with adhesion

in the blood

of reconciliation

x

the way of our flesh

fleshly

otherwise

prevailing

x

c l couch

x

x

Photo by jurien huggins on Unsplash

x

The Good Book

(x = space)

x

x

The Good Book

x

The Bible,

Well,

It’s an awful book

x

There’s sex in there

And violence,

All kinds of aberration

x

There’s slavery

In stories,

Even though promises

Of freedom abide

As well

x

There’s poetry,

Truth in metaphor

x

An animal

Talks

Not to another,

Rather to a person

x

There is nudity

(animals

by nature are

naked)

x

And realized

Punishment:

Rules draconian set by

The pettiness

Of kings

And queens

x

In retribution

And

For

Mortification,

There is the

Anger of prophets

x

There is the punishment by God

x

And did I mention many

Miracles

For sustaining life especially in

The wilderness?

(there’s a good deal of

wilderness)

x

So

Why should we read

This book?

x

Because there’s life

Rendered with great beauty like

The facets

In a jewel

Emblazoned by the sun

And cool

By night

x

It is a book

That does not float on

Waves

But nonetheless

That saves,

Requiring ingestion

As one reads

Or good hearing while

Another person

(or maybe Balaam’s donkey

for a further

miracle)

Reads

x

Good book

x

C L Couch

x

x

Photo by Rod Long on Unsplash

x

Good Books

(x = space)

x

x

Good Books

x

You know,

It is a good book

x

The pastor also quoted

From The Quran

Today;

Maybe I missed

The intent

(there was some talk about it, after),

But for me

It was a good

Refreshing moment

x

And I imagine there are good (refreshing) things

In The Upanishads

x

How about The Mishnah?

Theogony by Hesiod who

Believed

And

(yes, it’s cheek)

The House at Pooh Corner,

Which is not religious

But is pleasant

And spiritual

x

C L Couch

x

x

Photo by Masjid Pogung Dalangan on Unsplash

x

First Page of Every Book

(x = space)

x

x

First Page of Every Book

x

What might God say

But that

There was a word

The word in fact

Was God

And in our words

God breathes

And the making of the Earth

Was God’s

And our keeping

Or rejecting

Is our own

x

This from opening

The gospel

Pick a book of books

For all the horror

The unmaking

The possessing

And abandoning

Of spirits

We say good news

Inhabits

And abounds

Hope for ourselves

The grownups

And the children

Hope for the world

Of people

And of ground and water

x

For in the beginning

Was a word

Beside all words

It was love

And inspiration

Breath of God

And God

A word that made

From nothing

Gave us

Everything

With the proviso of

Two trees

And one rule

x

So much for that

We’re here as are here

There is hope left

In the box

Made of word perhaps

And this its second purpose

x

So many stories

Now

For elucidation

And companionship

Upon the journey

In the other way

From a detail of

A flaming sentinel

An ersatz beacon

Showing us

The way

We may not go

x

C L Couch

x

x

Photo by Andrew A on Unsplash

x

Shaping the Word of God

(x = space)

x

x

Shaping the Word of God

x

You know,

It didn’t come with numbers

Chapters and verses

I guess the whole thing was recited

As a book, we say

x

Then we moved on to another

The community

x

The interpreting community

Setting doctrine

As a group,

A denomination

Or on our own

Without a magisterium

x

Tricky doctrine-setters

How do they avoid a lie

In designation?

x

Maybe with the humility

Of Pietists

Or the Amish who

Set salvation as

A conditional process

We hope we’re saved

x

Meanwhile, we have

A book of books

Providing order,

Which is fine

Except when God is wild

In the wilderness,

Awaiting Moses

Beside the symbol and reality

(one comes first)

Of the burning tree

That will not consume

x

Remove your shoes,

Moses,

This is not a nine to five

This is a place above the desert

Thin blue air

For food

And doctrine from a flame

And from the words

One hears

Through the host

That is speaking

x

And if the order is to play,

Then be grateful

For bare feet

x

And we believe?

Our committees

And our meetings

All things gilt or burnished

For the Sunday best

To be best?

x

Might we go to Sinai

In a Thoreauvian way

Take all the time we need

Outside of shoes

To think it through

The bush will burn

There’s time

x

If need be,

Chronos will slip into kairos

For a while

x

C L Couch

x

x

Photo by Raimond Klavins on Unsplash

Saint Catherine Monastery, Mount Sinai, Egypt

x

on the altar

(x = space)

x

x

on the altar

x

lord

what shall we give

but everything

and what is everything?

if i offer myself upon an altar

then will you send an angel

to stay my hand?

if i offer up my part in relationships

will you have an angel

tell me

not so much

before i am alone?

if it’s my wardrobe or accounts

or the corporation or the army

(like saint francis)

or plans

x

earthly luxury

or earthly victory

will you send a hallelujah chorus

to tell me, no, not that much?

or will you tell me to keep

going:

my body to begin with

as a living sacrifice,

my mind turning only as you turn it,

the sadness of

living against the world

for the renewing of my mind

x

my body as a sacrifice

in worship

without sacrificing animals

or the worldly counterparts

but sacrificing me

the only thing to set apart,

holy for you

x

could you ask that much

or do you ask that much all the time

while i do not hear?

then i should listen with the

hearing that you gave me

x

c l couch

x

romans 12:1-2

x

x

photo by ricardo gomez angel on unsplash

x

Metaphors for Divinity

(x = space)

x

x

Metaphors for Divinity

x

God is love

God is a spirit

God is a lion

God is a rock

The rock of our salvation

And the Bible tells us so

x

C L Couch

x

x

Photo by John-Mark Smith on Unsplash

x

The Topic Is Admonishment

(x = space)

x

x

The Topic Is Admonishment

(Sunday morning sermon and discussion)

x

Well, let’s see

God admonished Moses

And admonished worse the rest of

The Israelites

The donkey admonished Balaam

Elijah admonished Jezebel

Ananias and Sapphira were not given

Time to be admonished

But were killed for lack of generosity

And lying about it

x

Admonishment seems to be

A touchy theme

How are we to do it

Without getting killed?

x

Well, we are,

I guess,

To do it

Though I think it has to be

In an absolutely constructive

Fashion

In which we ask each other first

Who we are

And how we are

And why, in love, this is necessary

And then we go ahead

x

Knowing we might lose

The relationship

And lose in other ways

Stones on the path

That God does not remove

Before we strike them

And now

We must do something

Even though

But knowing

That the path continues

On the other side

x

C L Couch

x

This is my response and some (little) summation of the sermon and groups talking about admonishment at Covenant Evangelical Presbyterian Church, West Lafayette, Indiana, on 25 July 2021.

x

3 Colossians 16

Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.

(New International Version)

x

1 Colossians 28
We proclaim Him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.

(Berean Study Bible)

x

x

Blurry Yellow Taxi Cab

Photo by Scott Umstattd on Unsplash

New York, United States

x

Book War

(x = space)

x

x

Book War

(preventive)

x

It happens

When a group

Has a code

That is set down

For day-to-day

And legacy

x

It took place with

The Quran

The evening of

The morning

When there was

Certitude that

There would be

A new

Generation

x

The Christian Bible

Set off conflict

With each change,

Each schism

Set to fighting

Over what to do

For faith

And what the book

Of faith should say

x

Not to mention

All the agnostica

Falling ‘round

The faithful

x

How many books

In the book?

Sixty-six or seventy-two with

All that should be in

Sixty-six or seventy-two

x

My version’s better

My translation

My paraphrase

No, mine

No, mine

No, OURS

Said with authority

No one outside commends

So we will need an army

Defending ink,

Scriptoria,

And brittle generations

x

A Bible war

Could be fun for trivia

On pub night

But not to justify

The raping of

Constantinople,

Christians thieving Christians

Or the books

That fuel internal fires

Burning up Jerusalem

For faith

x

Now, it seems

The Jewish book

For faith

Kept growing

x

While some groups

For their faith

Don’t keep a book at all

x

To say the least,

There’s fondness for a text

But to justify—well,

We’ve heard good things about

A declaration

And a constitution

And a touchstone

x

We should not fight about it

But leave room

As at the table

After dinner

x

Or the second half

Of sermons,

Engagement that most folk

Forget or remember

In leaving off

x

coda

x

If we write

And publish,

Pass around,

We should talk about it

x

Since pages are not

Altars

(altars are not altars)

And there’s always trouble

With our idols when

In idolatry

x

C L Couch

x

x

Photo by Drew Murphy on Unsplash

Johannesburg, South Africa

I was on a work shoot in a suburban church in Johannesburg. I took a walk around and noticed this soft light spilling onto the pews. Immediately I knew I should get a Bible and place it there. To me this image speaks of the gentle peace that can be found in the midst of a crazy world.

x