The Holy Week

The Journey from Palm Sunday to Easter is dramaturgically rich for those who mark their tradition along the Christian lineage, a diversely treasured and a passionately, sometimes turbulently, varied one.

Our colleague Ellie Stock, a presbyter fluid with the pen in prose and poetry, written and spoken (she signs simply as ehjs), crafted the following rap that we share on this side of the Loud Hossanas of the faithful heralding the advent of an incredible journey to “Jerusalem”. Whichever Journey the reader is in, we welcome you in your meandering with the following kaleidoscope of literary images.

JOURNEY RAP: OCCUPY LENT

Cosmic burst to starry rust
Energy to earth, lust to trust
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust
Cellular swamp to fertile muck
Dirt to dirt, breath to breath
Watery tomb to christened death
Seas to seas, sands to sands
Creature to clan, land to land
Gut to heart, heart to command
Mind to hand, hand to hand
Struggle to struggle, pain to gain
Wedging the edge again and again
Eons’ frugality to extravagant complexity
Chaos to order, elegant integrity
Agreements of strife to covenant of life
Crisis, opportunity, shadows to light
Pristine sphere to life in balance
No resource price or ownership valence
Heat up, melt down, changing climes
Prophesy transforming times
Oppressive decisions, exploitative trade,
Legitimacy cancelled by portent of Jade
Demagogue to pedagogue
Monologue to dialogue
Alarming pulse to silent calm
Fear succombs to stillness balm
Fragrance, beauty, gift emerge
Awakenment, engagement, fulfillment converge
Unfurnished trance to unfinished dream
Finality to eternity, let it be…
Impotence to power, power to surrender
Life gives, life takes, spirit unconquered
Precious fragility, resilient vulnerability
Illusion’s scarcity to equitable sovereignty
Sun to seed, wants to need
Greed to harvest’s necessary deed
Universe movemental, economy creational
Livelihood and common good quite sustainable
Pilgrimage from no longer to not yet
Grace unsettled, no boundaries set
Passion alert, Mystery beckons
Humility guides, gratitude reckons
Vision lasered, eyes on the prize
Endurance prevails, grassroots rise
Hope unfettered, hope unwound
Hope beyond hope strangely found
Infinite patience, infinite love,
Infinite journey of justing dove.

The journey has began, again.