tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19515847666075853742024-03-13T20:32:15.893-07:00kei te paiCate Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16829987810740091629noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951584766607585374.post-85519686680531049552022-12-05T18:03:00.002-08:002022-12-05T18:03:55.882-08:00The Shepherd<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjzKsNPul9nqtC6ifcJ5kNGcFWs3QUgnhOBD8yCrr-g_7R61Vv2VmA9SVzMJtmsgjmGT_jfQyNmcT6xko6MxxQPQDdarGsOnPeVsiaEM2_DyJK6aHDHlS6aGqqJwl3jeii3xR_o3aOXiKqRrk0B9mYf6WF2JUHVrssPMmNsHlDhQgsjb6keOdLAJA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="624" data-original-width="445" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjzKsNPul9nqtC6ifcJ5kNGcFWs3QUgnhOBD8yCrr-g_7R61Vv2VmA9SVzMJtmsgjmGT_jfQyNmcT6xko6MxxQPQDdarGsOnPeVsiaEM2_DyJK6aHDHlS6aGqqJwl3jeii3xR_o3aOXiKqRrk0B9mYf6WF2JUHVrssPMmNsHlDhQgsjb6keOdLAJA" width="171" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">(Old Man by Uday Bahn)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-27c94b65-7fff-b7ff-a999-2acb6397e054"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We were out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over our flocks that night. </span><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ordinarily, I wouldn't have been there. </span><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I would have sent my sons to stay under the stars. </span><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I'm too old to sleep outdoors these days. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But, it was the census, you see. </span><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our family were in town, taking up space. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Staying in the guest room overhead and sitting in my spot in the living room. </span><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Eating and talking and arguing.
And eating.
And talking.
And arguing. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">They'd bought their children too, </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">endlessly climbing and quarrelling and asking questions.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When my animals came in at night there was never any quiet. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ordinarily, I'd find it soothing to have them close by, </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">their slow breathing and familiar smell. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But they kept chewing and shuffling and snorting, </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">like something wasn't quite right. </span><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So I escaped our cramped quarters </span><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">for the silence of those wide-open spaces outside our City Gate. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Well, we call it a city, our small town. </span><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">David's Town. David's City. Bethlehem. </span><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This old backwater where our peoples greatest king, King David, </span><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">hiked these hills as a boy, just like me, </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">just like my children, </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 72pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">just like my children's children. </span><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our King, he protected and defended his flock. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He protected and defended his people. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Then he died. </span><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And in time, I...well…</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In time, everything else began to fade and fall away.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our people became vulnerable and defenceless, </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">like sheep mesmerised by the burning eyes of a wolf. </span><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We were conquered, again and again.</span><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Captives to a foreign king. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that we should all be counted, </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">rounded up. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Led by rods and roman spears. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It was something to fear. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’d spent most of the many years given to me out in the fields </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">where wild animals are free to roam. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’d protected my little ones before. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’d fought for my life before. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’d been afraid before. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Romans were wild too.
Hungry. Menacing. Unpredictable. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But that night, there was a burning light. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’d never been more terrified in all of my life.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My boys looked to me, the seasoned shepherd. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I collapsed. Covered my head. Shook with dread. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">‘Do not be afraid,’ the voice said. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But I was. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">‘Do not be afraid. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.’ </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I remember every single word. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">‘Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you: he is the Messiah, the Lord.’ </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Good news!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I couldn’t open my eyes. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Could it be true? </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our king has come? </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At last, a protector, a defender for our people?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">All this time we’d been like sheep without a shepherd. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Alone. Afraid. </span><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At last, our king has come! </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But why would a baby royal be born here? I'd wondered. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There is no palace in these parts. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Maybe the Messenger meant the </span><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">City</span><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> of David, Jerusalem. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Maybe I’d misheard him. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He kept speaking. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">‘This will be a sign to you: </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">you will find the baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’ </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We swaddled our wee ones. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We wrapped them up warm and lay them on a bed of straw. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our people have been doing this for the longest time. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This new king has come like one of us. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cradled and cared for. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">All of a sudden, there was a sound so loud it hit me in the chest. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Boom. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Boom, boom. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Boom, boom. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A choir calling out: </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Glory to God in the highest heaven, </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">They sang and sang. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Those words sank into me like fresh, cool water from a deep, deep well. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">‘Quick!’ one of my boys said. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">‘Let us go to Bethelehm and see.’ </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My sons helped me to stand and steadied my feet. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Just like I’d done for them a thousand times when they were small. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">‘Come on, old man,’ they teased. ‘Let's go.’ </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We found him. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Just like we'd been told we would.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">‘Come and see,’ she said. ‘Come and see.’</span><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ordinarily, I would have stood at a distance. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I was a shepherd straight from the fields. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Unseemly. Unclean. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yet this baby was extra-ordinary. </span><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He was so small he could fit in the crook of my arm.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">‘I’ll protect you, little one,’ I whispered. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I held him close and closed my eyes. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He breathed softly and everything slowed down. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We’d been hurrying about, yet here he was, asleep. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Such peace! </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A hush settled over us like morning mist.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I leant down and kissed his head.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Deep breath.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My whiskery chin tickled his nose. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He nestled in.</span><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I could have sat there until the sun rose over the hills behind us. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My sons were skittish though.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Like spring lambs, bouncing to and fro, high and low. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Acting like children all over again. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Before all this they had been quiet and reserved, keeping to themselves. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now, they spread the word of that strange and wonderful night wherever they go. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">'We named him Jesus,' she'd told me as I turned to leave. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">'Immanuel. God is with us.' </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">‘Indeed,’ I breathed. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">God has come to be with us. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our king has come. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Good news. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Great joy. </span><span style="font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p></span>Cate Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08376537981722471858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951584766607585374.post-55982000806651159182018-03-29T22:33:00.000-07:002018-03-29T22:33:24.451-07:00Peter's Confession<span style="color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: white;"><br /></span>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">The last time I spoke to you I said, </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">“How could you?</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">“How could you possibly suggest that I could pretend I don’t know you?” </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">...because you know me…</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">You know me.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">You know I say things I don’t mean </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">and mean things I don’t say. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">All of my enthusiasm gets in the way. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I am full of impulse, excitement...regret. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">My words get tangled like an old fishing net. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">You know me, but I am prone to forget who I am. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I am…</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">“Who do you say that I am?” You asked. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I remember that. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">We were in the villages around Caesarea Philippi. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">We’d gone out to get away from all the people</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">The crowds who came to you and called to you. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">They called you a prophet, back from the dead,</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Elijah, Jeremiah, John bar Zechariah. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">But I knew that wasn’t quite true. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I knew you. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">You were Jesus bar Joseph, Mary’s son. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">A well trained carpenter</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">A well read Rabbi</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">A good for nothing Galilean with God on your side. </span></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"><br /></span>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I knew exactly who you were <br />and where you were from</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">yet I knew there was something <br />inexplicable and mysterious about you. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I was with you when thousands of hungry people were fed on next to nothing. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">When men who were deaf, mute and blind were made whole. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">When a woman, a Grecian at that, begged you to heal her daughter, and you did. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">When the water, the water I know so well, yet never understand, </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">became your walkway a firm ground beneath your feet. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Mysterious. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Inexplicable. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Inconceivable. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">….‘Who do you say that I am?’ </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">You are the Christ, the son of the Living God. </span></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"><br /></span>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">See, I knew you. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">You were the long awaited Messiah. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">The one who would rescue us and restore Israel. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I knew you. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I knew exactly who you were and what you would do. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I was to go with you - even if it meant I would be put in prison or put to death. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Nothing would stop me because nothing would stop you. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I knew! </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">At least I thought I did. </span></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"><br /></span>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I don’t know anything any more. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I felt that for the first time when I entered the High Priest's courtyard <br />and sat on the floor. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">She saw me there, the servant girl. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I sat by the firelight - desperate for the flames to draw out the darkness in me </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">and bring warmth to my cold and weary bones. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Believe me, I’d been cold before, but never like this. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">She came close. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">She read and remembered my face. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">‘This man was with him,’ she announced. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I floundered like a fish in the sand, seeking a hiding place, </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Back, back, back to the dark, to the depths. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">‘Woman, I don’t know him.’ I stammered. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">‘I don’t know him. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I don’t know him!’ </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">…not any more. <br />I don’t recognise you any more. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Willingly, you’d allowed them to arrest you <br />and carry you off like a common criminal. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">You didn’t hold your ground or put up a fight<br />like I thought you would, </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">like I thought you should. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">You mustn’t be the Messiah, not really. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I must have been wrong. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">You weren’t chosen by God, just cursed. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Forsaken, like the rest of us. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">The forgotten children of Israel. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Disgraced and dispossessed. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I fled, as the darkness gave way to the morning light. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">The rooster crowed and filled me with fright. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">You were right. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">You know me. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><br /></span>Cate Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08376537981722471858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951584766607585374.post-55238685183044863872017-02-02T21:27:00.001-08:002017-02-02T21:27:58.471-08:00Te Tiriti O Waitangi <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri Light",sans-serif;">The
Treaty of Waitangi has caused many tears and much grief. Yet Te Tiriti O
Waitangi is also a cause for gratitude and great hope. Here as a founding
document of our nation, we have a covenant agreement that speaks of a strong
desire for unity with one another and with our God. This is the cry, the call,
and the challenge inherent in the voice of our ancestors. Their voice comes to
us from days of old when our nation came to birth. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri Light",sans-serif;">There is another voice that
comes to us which is yet older still, the voice of God, the Ancient of Days. Our
ancestors echo God’s voice who calls us all to unity through the commitment of
a covenant relationship. God says, ‘I will take you as my own people and I will
be your God’ (Ex 6:7). That sounds like marriage vows to me – a covenant, a
promise, a treaty. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri Light",sans-serif;">I have
been to four weddings this summer. My friend Cindy and I wrote a song for one
of them:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri Light",sans-serif;">Here we stand before you Lord</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri Light",sans-serif;">surrendering to your call. </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri Light",sans-serif;">Your faithfulness we will declare</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri Light",sans-serif;">throughout this life that we now share.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri Light",sans-serif;">Hallelujah, hallelujah/</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri Light",sans-serif;">You, our God, have made us one. <br />
Forever we are bound in your love.<br />
We give to you our lives of praise<br />bringing glory to your name. </span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri Light",sans-serif;">When we face great loss and grief</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri Light",sans-serif;">with heavy hearts and tear stained cheek's</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri Light",sans-serif;">O God, our help, to you we'll cling. </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri Light",sans-serif;">Held by mercy, we will sing. </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri Light",sans-serif;">Hallelujah, hallelujah</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri Light",sans-serif;"><b>You, our God, have made us one...</b></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri Light",sans-serif;">As we follow you, Jesus</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri Light",sans-serif;">may your grace be at work in us. </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri Light",sans-serif;">By your Spirit and your word</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri Light",sans-serif;">we will proclaim the truth we've heard. </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri Light",sans-serif;">Hallelujah, hallelujah. </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri Light",sans-serif;"><b>You, our God, have made us one... </b> </span></i><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri Light",sans-serif;"> </span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri Light",sans-serif;">May we
as a nation by bound together in love and unity, remaining faithful to our
covenant promises. Let us lift our voices as we join with our ancestors in the
cry, the call, and the challenge to live in unity with God and with one
another.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9nKfcAHR0io/WJQTBlEmewI/AAAAAAAAAKA/hjWemvrjZnI2S-5DmaSAxu19wX10sADDwCLcB/s1600/waitangi-1_s1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9nKfcAHR0io/WJQTBlEmewI/AAAAAAAAAKA/hjWemvrjZnI2S-5DmaSAxu19wX10sADDwCLcB/s320/waitangi-1_s1.jpg" width="167" /></a></div>
<br /><br />
Cate Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16829987810740091629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951584766607585374.post-61439309228386476532016-03-07T13:27:00.002-08:002016-03-07T13:27:44.677-08:00Wilderness<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>A reflection on the Wilderness Generation. </i></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g6EtX7Ltg2E/Vt3yK8e8ZhI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/oRsMUvMHJcg/s1600/Picture1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g6EtX7Ltg2E/Vt3yK8e8ZhI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/oRsMUvMHJcg/s320/Picture1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I am Rebekah. I am ten years old, the eldest of eight children.<br />
<br />
When I was seven I began working in the fields. Each day before dawn I would be woken with the gentle calling of my name, ‘Rebekah.’ I would slip on my tunic and step into my sandals while the younger children stirred. I’d emerge to find my mother and the other women preparing breakfast for the field workers. The men who built with brick and mortar in Pithom and Rameses had long since left.<br />
<br />
That early morning meal was my favourite time of the day. The smell of baked bread and boiled eggs made my belly rumble before I even had time to wipe the sleep from my eyes.<br />
<br />
The air was cool and fresh.We spoke to one another in hushed tones, and laughed as silently as we could so as to not disturb those who slept. Before long the babies would be up calling, ‘Amma! Amma!’ and the ladies would be comforting one child while another clung to their legs.<br />
<br />
It’s been that way for three years, and now there are three more of us in my family: another girl and two more boys. Every day, except the Sabbath, I walk to the fields outside Goshen with my aunts and older cousins. We talk all the way there. They tell us stories about what Egypt used to be like, about Joseph and Jacobs other sons and how they’d come from Canaan because of the famine, about Abraham and God’s promise to him that his descendants would outnumber the stars in the sky and how that certainly seems to be the case because the children of Israel keep growing and growing and growing and growing.<br />
<br />
But why are there all these people and yet we have no place of our own, no place to call home?<br />
<br />
It’s hot out in the fields and I long for the cool, dark rooms of our house. My legs burn as I bend low to pull the weeds from among the wheat. My muscles strain and the skin on my hands is raw and enflamed. As I work beneath the beat of the sun the anger in me begins to smoulder; a small fire of frustration.<br />
<br />
‘Pharaoh,’ I curse under my breath. He forces us to work, and what’s worse is he is trying to control us like we are cattle. He gave a decree to kill off our baby boys. My brothers are safe for now, but for how long?<br />
<br />
How long?<br />
How long will my people be enslaved?<br />
How long will we be oppressed?<br />
How long will our men be beaten and abused while they build cities for this slave-driving empire?<br />
How long, O Lord? Have you seen what it happening to us? Have you heard us as we cry out to you, ‘come and save us! Come and deliver us!’?<br />
Are you really more powerful than Pharaoh? Are you really willing to redeem your people?<br />
<br />
I hope so! Because, if you can’t, or won’t, I don’t know what we will do. God, we need you! Will you send someone to save us?<br />
<br />
...<br />
<br />
I am Rebekah. When I was twenty years old something strange and wonderful began. It started when Moses – one of our own – returned home. He was a Levite babe who’d been laid in a papyrus basket and place in the Nile – that fertile and dreadful river, and found by none other than Pharaoh’s daughter. The same Pharaoh who’d forced us into hard labour.<br />
<br />
Rumour has it that Moses fled to the wilderness and met God. Filled with the fear of the Lord he returned to Pharaoh’s court and declared, ‘let my people go!’ It wasn’t that easy though. Pharaoh said no. We were forced to work harder and the beatings were harsher than ever before. Such trouble was brought on us!<br />
<br />
Moses insisted that God would deliver us from our yoke of slavery and bring us to the land he swore to Abraham. But we didn’t believe him. We were bruised and abused. We were bitter. We’d become like the master we were bonded to. (It took too long to shake those chains.) For as long as I could remember we had been crying out to God to keep his covenant, to come to our rescue. We pleaded with God to hear us, and when God finally spoke we could not fathom it.<br />
<br />
There were the plagues, ten of them in total, ending with the death of the first born – the most destructive of all. I will never forget the sound of those who keened and grieved: the awful wail of lament.<br />
<br />
And then we left: the great exodus. I was in a daze. We’d done what Moses had asked. We slaughtered a lamb and smeared its blood on the door posts of our houses. We ate the roast meat and bread without yeast like we were on the run – cloak, belt, sandals, staff. We ate in haste.<br />
<br />
We left in haste, carrying what we could down the long desert road toward the Red Sea. The Lord led us: a pillar of cloud by day to guide us, a pillar of fire by night to give us light and illuminate the way. One night, encamped by the sea, we heard the Egyptian stampede, the pounding steps as death rushed towards us.<br />
<br />
I remember clamouring for my children and holding them close and wondering what I had done. I hadn’t brought them here to die in the desert like an injured animal. I should’ve stayed and served the Egyptians. I would have died inside but at least my children would have survived. I closed my eyes.<br />
<br />
Moses stood and said, “The Lord will fight for you; you need only be still.” He stretched out his hand over the sea and there began a strong wind from the east. The waters were divided: we walked through without getting wet. The Egyptian army was swallowed into the sea and we were safe on the other side. God had truly delivered us!<br />
<br />
We went into the desert, and our cry for deliverance became a grumble. We were hungry and there was nothing to eat. We were thirsty and there was nothing to drink. ‘Why did you bring us up out of Egypt?’ we grumbled, ‘to make us and our children and our livestock die of thirst? If only we had died by the Lords hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve us to death.’<br />
<br />
We’d seen and experienced the mighty hand of God. We knew the miraculous power of the Lord Almighty. But this place was nothing like the land we had been promised. Yes, God had delivered us, but what was God doing, giving us a leader like this? Someone to lead us to our death?<br />
<br />
And so we are still here in this wasteland, this wilderness, with no place to call home. We came close once, right to the edge of Canaan, our ancestral home, the land where we belong. But we couldn’t go in. We were too scared. It was safer in Egypt. We were safe when we were slaves, we didn’t know what it meant to be saved.<br />
<br />
...<br />
<br />
I am Rebekah. Now I am fifty years old. Fifty years, five children, a few handfuls of grandchildren. Their childhood is so different from mine. They are free to wander and roam. They are forced to wander and roam. Every few months we pack up the tents and the tabernacle and move on. It’s been that way for thirty years.<br />
<br />
When we walk through the wilderness I am reminded of the exodus from Egypt when we first loaded the carts and drove the cattle. Now there is no hurry or haste. My bones are older and my body does not move at the same pace. Now we walk and we wait and we remember. We remember the covenant God made with our ancestor Abraham and we remember our unfaithfulness. We remember the Passover and how God rescued us from oppression. We remember our rebellion and our recalcitrance. We remember all too well that we were the ones who reneged.<br />
<br />
Yet, strangely, God has remained faithful. Or perhaps it’s not so strange after all. Our God is the great I Am. Our God’s very name means, ‘I am who I am. I will be who I will be.’ Our God is faithful and true. Yahweh keeps his promise. Yahweh keeps his word. Yahweh is with us in the wilderness. Even here, in the emptiness of it all, we are not alone, we are not abandoned.<br />
<br />
God has heard our cry, has come to rescue us and we will remember his faithfulness. Our people will enter the land that has been promised to us, just not this generation. The wilderness is our home; the wilderness is where we belong. But our descendants won’t dwell in the desert forever.<br />
<br />
I will. I will die out here. One day I will draw my last breath from this warm desert wind, my body will become a part of the earth beneath me, and I will be one with the wilderness where I have spent most of my life. I will never set foot in the Promised Land. I will never set my eyes on the green fields and foothills. I will never hear the gush of the sweet water springs or the sound of the cedars during a gust of wind. I will never taste the milk and honey I have heard of and hoped for. I have forgotten their sensation and have now only the words.<br />
<br />
But my death, and the death of my generation, will be a kind of redemption that leads to a new way of life. One day my children, our children, Israel’s children, will be set free to romp and roam in a land that they can call home. Once again, God will deliver his people. Our God truly is the one who saves.Cate Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16829987810740091629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951584766607585374.post-26394757945149826052015-12-08T17:39:00.001-08:002015-12-08T17:39:38.985-08:00Refuge<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="Style1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Jesus was a refugee. Not long after he was
born his parents were forced to flee to Egypt because Israel was no longer a
safe place to be – it hadn’t been for a while. There were kings and rulers
vying for control and the people were caught in the crossfire. The Roman
Emperor, Caesar Augustus, called for a census of the entire Roman world so he
could keep track of all those under his rule and keep them under his thumb. The
King over the Jews, Herod the Great, called for nationwide infanticide so he
could eliminate any potential usurper and protect his position on the throne. There
was trouble, all kinds of trouble. </span></span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<br /></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">It is understandable that Mary and Joseph
fled. A person would do almost anything to protect their family. What is
strange, however, is where they found refuge. It wasn’t the first time the
descendants of Israel had sought shelter among the Egyptians. Thousands of
years before there had been a severe drought and the Israelites made Egypt
their home; the land was fertile and the cities were safe. Yet, within a few
generations the Israelites were slaves, living lives of submission. Why would
Mary and Joseph return to the place where their forebears were oppressed? Why
seek asylum in Egypt of all places, among enemies and adversaries? Perhaps it is
safer to be a foreigner in a strange land than to remain amidst the conflict of
your own kin. </span></span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ"> </span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VT6bbVHY1sM/VmeFwAyZZ3I/AAAAAAAAAJA/74ix2mJ4e6Q/s1600/flight-into-egypt-958701-gallery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VT6bbVHY1sM/VmeFwAyZZ3I/AAAAAAAAAJA/74ix2mJ4e6Q/s400/flight-into-egypt-958701-gallery.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="Style1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Imagine the fear, the insecurity, the sense of
dread that grips your diaphragm like you’re winded all the time. How can people
live like that?! God knows! Yet, witness the stamina and the fortitude of the
family. Such courage! Such determination! Such resolve!</span></span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<br /></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">This story of a refugee family from the Middle
East during a time of great social, political and religious turbulence is not
so foreign to us. Despite the angels and the stars and the strangeness of it
all, the Christmas story is no fairytale. Into our world of instability and
unrest God has come. The stories of our violence and our vulnerability are not
foreign to God. Jesus knows our need, Jesus experiences our struggle. In Jesus
there is true peace amidst turmoil, deep joy during great suffering, pervasive
love among enemies, and hope; pure, honest, earnest hope. </span></span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<br /></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Do not be afraid, there is good news that will
bring great joy to all people: God is with us, God will restore us. </span></span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<br /></div>
<div class="Style1">
<br /></div>
<div class="Style1">
<br /></div>
<div class="Style1">
<br /></div>
<div class="Style1">
<br /></div>
Cate Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16829987810740091629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951584766607585374.post-12352034654835907622015-04-06T14:26:00.002-07:002015-04-06T14:26:30.409-07:00Mary the Mother of Jesus<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">I love you, but I can’t look at you. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">I can’t look at you, but I can’t leave you. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">You are my child, my son, my own flesh, my...blood.
</span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">You are a part of me. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">You will always be a part of me. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">So how can I look upon your face</span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">when your flesh is ripped to shreds </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">and your bones are on display? </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Oh, the unspeakable ache!</span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">This pain is worse than childbirth. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">At least that pain had a purpose. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">But this...you...what is happening to you...</span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">What’s the point?! </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">In pain I brought you into this world<br />
and with a deeper pain still all I can do is watch<br />
as you are ripped from it. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">But I can’t watch. <br />
I can’t look. <br />
I love you, but I can’t look at you. <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">What is a mother to do? </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Once I held you in my womb. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Once I held you in my hands. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">But now, now you are beyond my grasp. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">I cannot reach you. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">You cry out in agony and I cannot comfort you.
</span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">I cannot cradle you in my arms and hold you
close to my heart. <br />
I cannot soothe you and speak tenderly to you. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">What is a mother to do? </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Abandon you? </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Abandon you like everyone else? <br />
They have all left. <br />
All the so-called faithful have left. <br />
You are betrayed. <br />
There are only a few of us who have stayed. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">They said I was blessed, but I must be cursed.
</span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">I thought I was blessed, but I must be cursed.
</span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">What a fool I was! </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">I was so foolish to be so faithful! </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">I was only a child then, <br />
when the messenger came bearing the good news that I would bear a son. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">How foolish I was to believe that I had found
favour with God. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">God, I trusted you! I trusted you! </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">But where are you now?! <br />
Where are you now, O Mighty One?</span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Do not hide your face from me when I am in
distress (Ps 102). </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Once you looked upon me with favour. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Will you ever look at me again? </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Let your face shine on your servant, <br />
save me in your unfailing love (Ps 31). </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Save me. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Save your servant. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Save my son. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Save your son. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">If you love me, will you not look at me? </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<br /></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">You look at me. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">You, my son, whom I love, <br />
and in these moments before you die, you look at me. <br />
With your dark and endearing eyes <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">you</i>
comfort <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">me</i>. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">In this darkening light you soothe me. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">I am held in your gaze and my fear goes away. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">With tender words<br />
- with a genuine affection and a gut-wrenching ache - <br />
you speak and console. <br />
‘Dear women,’ you say, ‘here is your son.’ <br />
You speak of yourself and the one whom you love. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">I love you. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">I can’t help but look at you. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">I lift my eyes and I wonder, </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">where does our help come from? </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">I wait, in hope, to see. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif";">©
Catherine Burton March 2015</span></i></div>
<div class="Style1">
<br /></div>
Cate Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16829987810740091629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951584766607585374.post-37341955415138061522015-04-06T14:25:00.003-07:002015-04-06T14:25:45.599-07:00The Good Thief<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">How did I end up here? </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Up here. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">People looking up to me.</span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">My whole life I have been hiding, </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Shifting
through the dark, </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>committing
sin, always...always stuffing it up! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">But now I am on display, </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>my
whole life is open and exposed for all the world to see. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">In the harsh light of day, the course of my
miserable life is marked out for me. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">X marks the spot. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">I am held to this cross. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">There will be no sly escape. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">I am ready to face my guilt. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">I am ready to take the blame, </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>because
I have brought such shame on my family’s good name. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Oh, my deeds of disgrace! </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<br /></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">That’s how I ended up here. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Up here, with people looking up to me. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Don’t look up to me!</span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">I am a malicious man with a murderous spirit. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">I am a man in desperate need of mercy. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Justice has been served. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">This is what I deserve. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">I am the one who has done wrong. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">‘Guilty,’ I plead, as my body breathes and
bleeds. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">I am charged with guilt. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">My whole being is flawed and defected, covered
in imperfection. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Soon my breath will end. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Soon my blood will congeal. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Soon my life will be over, </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>it
will finish, </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>this
suffering will finish and I...I don’t know...</span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">maybe when it all ends it will be alright. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Maybe all will be right in the end. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Hell! I hope this is the end!</span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<br /></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">It is the end for me, and righteousness is
right here beside me. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">We made the long, staggering journey toward
our deaths, the three of us together. <br />
Through the crowded streets where people called our names, </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">or called us any name under the sun. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<br /></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">‘Sons of whores!’ </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">‘Sons of hell!’ </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">‘Son of God!’ some would yell. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">He’s doing it now. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">My contemporary, my colleague, my partner in
crime. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">‘You say you’re the Son of God. Save yourself!
And save us!’</span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<br /></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">He’s saying the words I want to say, but in a
different way. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">‘You say you’re the Son of God. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Will you save yourself? </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Will you save us?</span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Will you?’</span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">What a strange place to meet a saviour. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<br /></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">How did I end up here? </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Up here, with this lot. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">A trio: the good, the bad, and the ugly. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Our lot has been cast. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">The good one, he got it bad. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Fixed to a cross like a sail to a mast. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">A cut-throat death for an unblemished lamb. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">The other, his words are ugly; he casts
insults and hurls abuse. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">‘Don’t you respect God? <br />
Don’t you know this man next to us is innocent?’ </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">I can’t help it. I cry out. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">‘Jesus, when your kingdom comes, will you
remember me?’ </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">When your freedom comes, will you remember me?
</span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Will you?</span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Because my judgement has come, justice has
been done. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">I am done. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">My whole life I have been hiding. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">My whole life I have been seeking. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">I’ve always had this inkling, </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>that
life is more than what I can snatch and grab. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">I want my life to be for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">your</i> taking and keeping. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">‘Truly,’ you say, ‘you will be with me today.’
</span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">I’ve never been so sure as right now, </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">when you are right here, next to me. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Right across from me. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">A cross...</span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Here</span></i><span lang="EN-NZ">, for the first time in my life I feel free. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Here</span></i><span lang="EN-NZ">, for the first time in my life I know mercy. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">How did I end up here? </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">I look to you. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif";">©
Catherine Burton March 2015</span></i></div>
<div class="Style1">
<br /></div>
Cate Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16829987810740091629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951584766607585374.post-1451229079365574092015-04-06T14:24:00.002-07:002015-04-06T14:24:49.053-07:00Simon of Cyrene<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</xml><![endif]--><span lang="EN-NZ">I am a good Jewish boy with good Jewish boys. </span>
<br />
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">I keep my Lord’s decrees. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">I obey my God’s commands. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">And my sons are just like me; </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">We come from Cyrene, </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Famous for its fertile soil and its school of
philosophy. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Most Cyrenians think they know everything that
there is to know. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">But they don’t. <br />
They don’t know what it means to fear God; </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">to follow the Torah, to keep the law. <br />
But I do, I’m a good Jewish boy, and my boys are too. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">I obey my God’s commands. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<br /></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">It has been good to come here;</span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">to the country of our forefathers, </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">to the land we left long ago. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">We’ve never been here before, my boys and I, </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">but this is the place where we belong. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">We’re on a pilgrimage. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">We’ve come for the Passover. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">We’ve come to be a part of the procession. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">And we’ve come to get away from the Roman
oppression. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">But the Roman rule runs far and wide. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">We cannot hide.</span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">These bronze brutes with spears and boots are
here too. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">They enforce the laws of a mad man </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">and execute his crazy plans. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Caesar says he’s our lord, </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">he says he’s our god. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">He says we must obey his commands. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">But how can I? </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">There is only one God, and I obey his
commands. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">I am a good Jewish boy with good Jewish boys. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">That’s why we’re here. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">We’re come to worship our God and King, the
Lord Almighty. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><br />
But today there is another procession </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">crawling through these crowded streets. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">A convoy of men condemned to die.</span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">I’ve heard about these crucifixions before:</span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">The blood, the cross beams, the broken bones.<br />
I don’t want my boys to know. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">They are good boys, good Jewish boys. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">But before I can usher them away </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">a Roman soldier taps me on the shoulder. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">The flat of his spear fills me with fear.</span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">I must obey his command. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">I am just a pilgrim, just a passerby, </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">forced to carry the cross bar for this
criminal. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">And he’s a Jew, just like me, </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">but he must be guilty of something. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">He must be a lawbreaker, unlike me. <br />
The crowd are taunting him, calling him the King. <br />
“King of the Jews!” they accuse. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">“The Christ! The King!” they spit and tease. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">I am so close I can hear him wheeze. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">I see him struggling beside me. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">I wonder what crime he has committed. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Up close he looks so innocent, <br />
not the naive kind of innocence, </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">the blameless kind. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Kind. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">He looks very kind. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">His look is very kind. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">There is something in those eyes. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Maybe you <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">are</i>
a good Jewish boy.</span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">A good Jewish boy obeying your God, </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">defying the Roman world and dying for it. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Obediently walking the road to your death. </span></div>
<div class="Style1">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Well, lead the way. I will follow. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif";">©
Catherine Burton March 2015</span></i></div>
Cate Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16829987810740091629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951584766607585374.post-13129004087011408872014-12-21T14:17:00.000-08:002014-12-21T14:17:11.120-08:00Surrender<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif";">Well,
God, <br />
<br />
Here we are. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif";">Here
we are before you. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif";">Here
we are sitting, <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>standing,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif";"> kneeling before you. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif";">Here
we are <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">with </i>you. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif";">You,
the King of Glory, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif";">clothed
in splendour, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif";">wrapped
in light, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif";">seated
on high. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif";">You,
the Servant King, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif";">who
removed your cloak,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif";">wrapped
a towel around your waist, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif";">and
knelt to the ground. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif";">You,
the child born King of the Jews, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif";">born
in poverty, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif";">wrapped
in swaddling cloths, </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif";">and
laid in a manger. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif";">Here
we are. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif";">Here
we are with you before us. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif";">Here
we are, surrendered, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>with empty hands and open hearts. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif";">Here
we are, pregnant with expectation, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>ready to receive from you. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif";">Well,
God, here we are. </span></div>
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Cate Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16829987810740091629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951584766607585374.post-91427759863381400522014-07-27T12:31:00.000-07:002014-07-27T12:31:24.026-07:00Pensive and Pevensie <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">I am Susan Pevensie standing before the gateway
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My dark hair is tied up in a bun and the free bits about my face dance with the
wind, along with the leaves of the bamboo salsa-ing before me. </span></span> </div>
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and transformed and my month in Costa Rica will forever be a part of me. I am a
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">E te whanau, ka kite ano. <br />
Brothers and sisters, see you soon (in the eschatological sense). </span></span></div>
Cate Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16829987810740091629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951584766607585374.post-72290378626266926442014-07-13T16:14:00.000-07:002014-07-13T16:17:18.053-07:00Te Maunga <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]--><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Irazu is the highest volcano in Costa Rica.
She sits over Cartago, the countries former capital, and San Jose, the current
capital. On Wednesday we went to the top of Irazu. We left at 6:30am so as to
make it to the peak before the clouds came in. Apparently, on a clear day you
can see from coast to coast; from the Caribbean to the Pacific. Oh how I long
for the Pacific Ocean! </span></span><br />
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<br />
When we reached the top we were greeted by the cloud cover and a cool breeze.
Our guides apologised for the bad weather, but I didn’t mind. Clouds and fog
and mist are a part of the mountain top experience, it’s what happens up there
where the winds meet. <br />
<br />
On the mount of Irazu there were rocks and rain and craters and creation. There
was life up there amongst the black sand and the stone; there was vegetation
and a view – even if we couldn’t see it. There were times when we could hardly
see each other when we descended into the fog. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oW3l30IUYEA/U8MSIGWSBAI/AAAAAAAAAHs/d139rVlsGYM/s1600/10534660_10202249973602646_5591338195538332691_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oW3l30IUYEA/U8MSIGWSBAI/AAAAAAAAAHs/d139rVlsGYM/s1600/10534660_10202249973602646_5591338195538332691_n.jpg" height="226" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">We came down from the mountain with shining
faces from the wet and the rain, a mountain top experience to be sure. I was
reminded of Moses, when he met with God on Mount Sinai. <br />
<br />
Yesterday we went to a rainforest. It was warmer down there on the valley
floor, with the mosquitoes and the wild life. We ate chocolate and called out
to monkeys and took selfies on the suspension bridge.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Mountains and valleys, we find beauty in
both. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-twx9LYnWbeU/U8MSKZXrmDI/AAAAAAAAAH4/_xk5rxMjyng/s1600/10523840_10202357613561351_5727918832774043766_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-twx9LYnWbeU/U8MSKZXrmDI/AAAAAAAAAH4/_xk5rxMjyng/s1600/10523840_10202357613561351_5727918832774043766_n.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
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<i>I life my eyes to the mountains – where does
my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. (Psalm
121:1-2)</i> </span></span></span></div>
Cate Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16829987810740091629noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951584766607585374.post-77168146411634264442014-06-04T16:08:00.000-07:002014-06-04T16:08:24.159-07:00The Burden of Work and the Heat of the Day <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</xml><![endif]--><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Jesus told a story once about a landowner who employed a bunch of guys to work in his vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16). These men were all employed at different points throughout the day but they were all paid the same, a denarius, a living wage. It's a story of compassion and generosity and it moves me. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I wrote a poem about it from the perspective of one of the last ones to be hired at the end of the day. As you read this, don't imagine my voice in your head, imagine someone elses', a young middle eastern family man, that'll do it. </span><br />
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">My father was a hard worker, he was. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">He had to be, with a wife and six
children to provide for.</span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Seven mouths to feed, plus his own. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Four boys with feet, now fully grown. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">From sunrise to sunset he was out in the
fields, </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">bearing the burden of the work and the
heat of the day. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Bringing home food for the family with
what he was paid. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">I am a hard worker. I am, </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">when there is work to be had. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Now I am a man, with a wife and these
three little lambs. <br />
“Abba!” they call as I walk up the lane. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">I have had no work for days. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">My hands are empty and my head hangs in
shame. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">I have had no work, but who is to blame?
</span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">I have gone out each day to the
marketplace. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Every day I go to that street corner looking
for work. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Every day I stand there, eager and
alert. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">In the heat of this day I have borne the
burden of no work. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">No money for food, no money for shoes. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Four mouths to feed, plus my own. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">“Amma,” I hear my children groan. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">All night they moan. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">All night I worry, where might I find
money for bread? </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Maybe I’ll go up to the Temple and beg. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">But I am a hard worker, I am. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">So I rise early again. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">I get dressed and wash my face</span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">and head back toward the marketplace. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">I wait at that old familiar corner, </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">the place where opportunity and
occupation meet, </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">where the landowners and our livelihoods
intersect, </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">where I wait with all the other men who
are just like me. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">We wait and he arrives, </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">he needs workers to tend to his vines. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">“A denarius,” he says, “for a day’s
work.” </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">“A denarius?! That’s excellent pay.” </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">But I am at the back of the gathering
crowd. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">I have been here since first light, </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">yet now I am out of this landowners
sight. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">I am a hard worker. I am, <br />
when there’s work to be had. <br />
I have stood here all day, ready for work<br />
I have stood here all day and watched the foremen come. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">I have stood here all day, and I’m not
the only one.</span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">That first landowner came back at the
third hour, the sixth and the ninth, </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">“Come, work,” he said, “and I’ll pay you
what it right.” </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Somehow, in all the fuss and kerfuffle </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">we were not chosen so we stand here and
shuffle our feet. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Another day spent with no purpose, no
point. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">What have I earned but more humiliation?
</span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">I am eager to work, this is exasperating!
</span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">I am a hard worker, I am! </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">What more can a man do?!</span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">I have been standing here since first
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">I stand here though it soon will be
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">We wait, and he arrives yet again. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">“Why have you been standing here all day
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">“Because no one has hired us,” we say,
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">“You also go,” the landowner says, </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">“go, work in my vineyard,” he declares. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">I am a hard worker, I am, </span></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">even if just for one hour. </span></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">There is no talk of money nor work for
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">but no matter. </span></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">I may return to my family with empty
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">but today, with these hands, I have
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Evening comes and the foreman calls. </span></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Again we men gather around. </span></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Those who have been working all day
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">We, who were last, have been waiting all
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Now, strangely, we are called first, <br />
likely to be sent away, with nothing. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">We rise and ready ourselves for the
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">We stand before them; the landowner and
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Strange things are happening to us, </span></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">for an hours’ work we each receive a
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">A denarius, that’s more than we deserve,
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">I am a hard worker. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">I am what I am. </span></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">But what about this man? <br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">He has esteemed and honoured us. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">In his compassion he has noticed our
need, </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">we have wives to care for and children
to feed.</span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">We were born to work, born to serve, </span></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">with a need for purpose and a sense of
worth. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Today, we have been given more than a
denarius, <br />
we have been given a way to live. </span></span></i></span></div>
Cate Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16829987810740091629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951584766607585374.post-7308430389362907392014-05-04T20:25:00.000-07:002014-05-04T20:25:51.340-07:00Reconciliation <!--[if !mso]>
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<br />
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<span lang="EN-NZ">There was a battle at Gate Pa a hundred and
fifty years ago. Maori and Pakeha fought over the land and men fell in the
fight. Last Tuesday (April 29) hundreds gathered, and remembered, and sought
reconciliation. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">I shivered in the southerly breeze as the
war-painted warriors roared and wielded their guns. The men, armed with muskets
instead of taiaha, were quite terrifying as they lay their challenge for peace
at the foot of the manuhiri, who stood staunch and silent. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ">The tangata whenua were eager to defend and
protect those dearest to them; their woman, their children, and their land who
gave them life. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Dno7W7PseYA/U2cEScGlpsI/AAAAAAAAAHc/SJf5UvYlv6o/s1600/Gate+Pa.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Dno7W7PseYA/U2cEScGlpsI/AAAAAAAAAHc/SJf5UvYlv6o/s1600/Gate+Pa.png" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ"><br />There were speeches and songs and shouts. And then he sang and my spirit was
very still. One warrior took careful steps to the centre of the clearing. He
bent low, lay down his weapon and began to sing. I didn’t know the words that
he was using, but it was like he was whispering to the wounded world beneath
his feet, ‘it is finished’. <br />
<br />
‘It is finished’, that’s what Jesus said. <span class="text">God was reconciling
the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he
has committed to us the message of reconciliation. (2 Corinthians 5:19) We are
being reconciled to God and to one another. </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ"><span lang="EN-NZ">May the Spirit of Christ,
the Prince of Peace, who is closer than our breath, pass between us and bind us
together as one people.</span></span></div>
Cate Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16829987810740091629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951584766607585374.post-47698343351232501112014-02-09T23:09:00.000-08:002014-02-09T23:09:19.558-08:00Cave, Table, Road <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Spirit, lead me to the wild spaces</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
where the wind whispers through lonely places. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Lead me to the desert, to the cave</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
where my cry is heard for you are quick to save. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Spirit, lead me to the laden table,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
with my brothers and sisters, each needy and able. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Lead me to community, </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
the place where we commune with thee. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Spirit, lead me to the open road, </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
where we travel together and share the load. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Lead me to the marketplace, </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
to work, to play, to seek your face. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.freshexpressions.org.uk/sites/default/files/resources/book-caverefectoryroad-300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="irc_mut" height="416" id="irc_mi" src="http://www.freshexpressions.org.uk/sites/default/files/resources/book-caverefectoryroad-300.jpg" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="266" /></a></div>
<br />Cate Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16829987810740091629noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951584766607585374.post-64604559079046759322013-09-30T00:53:00.000-07:002013-09-30T00:53:50.508-07:00Dorothy<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Cate Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16829987810740091629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951584766607585374.post-64018396706935737072013-08-20T22:34:00.002-07:002013-08-20T22:34:36.374-07:00What's in a Name?<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Kia ora. Ko Katarina Arihi toku ingoa. </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Catherine Alice, this is the name that I
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">I am named after both my Grandmothers: Dorothy Edith Catherine and
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">I inherited </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Dorothy's quick feet and desire to create, and</span></span> Alice's dark curls and
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ycCyVcvXdrc/UhRKbf130JI/AAAAAAAAAGY/LSronpCOZPg/s1600/Me+and+Nan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ycCyVcvXdrc/UhRKbf130JI/AAAAAAAAAGY/LSronpCOZPg/s320/Me+and+Nan.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">I must
confess, when I was a kid I didn't like my name all that much. Mostly,
the only people I knew with names like mine were old ladies (my old
man's old lady and my old lady's old lady, and some queen who Henry VIII
disposed of). Interestingly, the name printed on the back of my Year 13
Leavers Jersey was 'Nana' - for various other reasons. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Alice lived ‘til she was in her 90’s and it looks like
Dorothy is headed that way too. It has been a privilege to observe both my Nana’s in their old age. From them I have learned something of what it means to
be human, to be vulnerable and fragile and to embrace that rather than avoid
it. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">I don’t think it was easy for either of
them, though; these two strong and staunch women who lived rurally, ran
households and raised a handful of children each. Their husbands worked hard,
honoured their wives beautifully, and died well before anyone was ready. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">I don't mind my name all that much now, though. At graduation I was told that the name printed on my certificate sounded elegant and important. But now, my name is more than just a name it is a reminder of my heritage and the people I belong to. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Catherine Alice, these are the names that I belong to. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Ko Katarina Arihi toku ingoa. Kia ora. </span></span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pY0BFtjPSYs/UhRQUN7vChI/AAAAAAAAAHA/7j1uTT9Wyto/s1600/Me+and+Nana.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pY0BFtjPSYs/UhRQUN7vChI/AAAAAAAAAHA/7j1uTT9Wyto/s200/Me+and+Nana.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ"><i>This photo was taken on my 15th birthday, two days after I broke my nose, </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ"><i>so please don't look too closely. </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ"><i>Mum made me pose for the picture. I'm glad she did. </i></span></span></div>
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Cate Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16829987810740091629noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951584766607585374.post-41845014793843799792013-07-31T03:26:00.002-07:002013-07-31T03:26:55.312-07:00Heaps and Hopes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-a013NFWqW7A/UfjVlfD5ShI/AAAAAAAAAGA/l0RrgnL1kp0/s1600/Philippines+146.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-a013NFWqW7A/UfjVlfD5ShI/AAAAAAAAAGA/l0RrgnL1kp0/s640/Philippines+146.jpg" width="480" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I captured this photo from a rooftop room of a community center at Smokey Mountain, Manila. This former rubbish dump and landfill is now littered with low-cost housing stacked stories high, offering accommodation to thousands of Filipinos. There are still many shanty's and cute sari-sari stores along the road frontage. Prior to the project, people lived in slums around the dump and made their living rifling through the rubbish. Now, there is health and hope and life. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I arrived in the Philippines ten days before I took this photo. It was early on a Monday and I was due to meet up with the rest of my team from St Peter's in the City, Tauranga. They were spending the morning at Trash Mountain, not too dissimilar, I imagine, from Smokey Mountain before it was closed. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At Trash Mountain the poorest of the poor who live in and around the dump scavenge for treasure or burn wood to make charcoal. Suffocating smoke pours forth from the charcoal pits and claims the lives of the workers by the time they are barely in their twenties. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The morning was spent feeding children sloppy mash full of goodness and nutrients, handing out clothing to the ragged and naked, mixing antibiotics for the sick and cleaning the wounds of the injured, and playing with children who's lungs were full of smoke and faces full of joy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I arrived I put down my drink bottle, picked up several bags of secondhand clothing and followed Cathy, Braedon, and a local pastor along ashy, muddy paths past charcoal pits and between makeshift shacks. I looked into deep eyes in dark rooms as our hands reached out toward each other, exchanging gratitude. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am grateful for the welcome I received at Trash Mountain; these people opened up their lives and their homes to me, even if just for the morning. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But I am still disappointed; disappointed that we, humanity, are killing our planet and our people. Places like Trash Mountain shouldn't exist. But they do. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That night I asked God where he was in that place. I'm pretty sure I heard him say that he was on the mountain of rubbish and in the charcoal pit feeding the hungry and being fed, clothing the naked and being clothed, caring for the sick and being cared for. That sounded a lot like something else Jesus said once (Matthew 25). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Psalm 113:5-8 says, </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Who is like the Lord our God, </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>the One who sits enthroned on high, </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth? </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>He raises the poor from the dust</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>and lifts the needy from the ash heap; </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>He seats them with the princes, </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>with the princes of their people. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Jesus has humbled himself, bearing our humanity and bestowing us with dignity. Jesus, through whom the world was created, gets covered in ash and dust as he cradles and carries the humble and helpless. Maranatha, come Lord Jesus. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As we were packing up to leave Trash Mountain I spotted a wee girl in a red dress with a ladybug umbrella. She was walking home along the waterfront, walking over the rubbish of a nation. She was alive and she was loved and the God of the universe walked with her. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There is hope for Trash Mountain yet. The same hope that is happening at Smokey Mountain. Maybe there's hope for us all, 'cos God knows we need it. </span></div>
<br />Cate Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16829987810740091629noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951584766607585374.post-90143376016344781122013-06-29T14:57:00.001-07:002013-06-29T14:57:45.146-07:00A Woman of Corinth<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ"><i>I am currently interning at St Peter's in the City in Tauranga. We've just started a series on 1 Corinthians and here is a wee soliloquy I wrote for the congregation here from the perspective of a woman in the Corinthian church and how she may have responded to Paul's letter to them. It's written to be read aloud with all sorts of emphasis, exaggeration and dramatic pauses. For those biblical scholars among you, I may not have got all the history quite right, but don't let that get in the way of a good story. </i> </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o3QcFniJdEc/Uc9XgvxFzxI/AAAAAAAAAFw/3KdA0BPWInA/s434/Corintian+Woman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o3QcFniJdEc/Uc9XgvxFzxI/AAAAAAAAAFw/3KdA0BPWInA/s320/Corintian+Woman.jpg" width="293" /></a></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">It was good to see young Timothy yesterday,
bearing a letter from our brother Paul. While his letter was read, I could hear
Paul’s voice in my head. It was as if he was right here with us again. I wish
he was right here with us again. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">He’d stayed in Corinth 18 months, stitching
tents and speaking the truth and teaching us about Jesus the Christ. That was
three years ago though. He’s been gone for twice as long as he was here. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">I’ve
been missing him, and I’m not the only one. Yet there are others who have said,
‘good riddance’, they say they’re glad he’s gone. They speak of him badly
behind his back and belittle the gospel he brought. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">But despite all the backstabbing and
backsliding, despite all the disgrace, Paul refuses to turn his face from us.
In fact, he said he thanked God for us. I am grateful for our God is faithful. Paul
is like a prophet, a mouthpiece for God, with words ringing true, “you are my
children and I love you.” </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">How on earth did we forget? When did we
stop understanding? Did we ever understand? Even with all this wisdom and
knowledge at hand? But what is wisdom without love? What is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">sophia</i> without sacrifice? </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Sophia: the wisdom of God, the Spirit of
God, the power of God. That’s what Paul talked about. I wish he would come and
sort this out; this mess we’ve made of our lives of faith. But his letter is
better than nothing.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">I couldn’t understand it all though, trust
Paul to trail off. I <i>could</i> hear the love of Christ in his words, and I
could hear his love for us. I don’t remember all that was said, if only I could
read that letter over and over so Paul’s words to us about our God of love
could be etched into my body and written all over my heart. If only I could
read. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">I’ll have to ask Andre when he gets home;
hopefully he’ll remember more of the letter than I do. I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">do</i> remember that bit, though, the bit about the wives not calling
out in the ecclesia, and if they have any questions to ask their own husbands
at home. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">No doubt these words will kick up a fuss
amongst some of the woman around here. But that’s no different; they’re used to
causing a ruckus, some of our dear women are. Frankly, it can be embarrassing
and I’m grateful for Paul’s boldness. It’s better if they keep quiet and
control their tongues – we woman are not exempt from order either. It’s no
different for the women than it is for the men; Paul’s right, we all encounter
freedom in Christ but not in a way that brings disorder. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">All things ought to be done decently and
order. But there hasn’t been much of that lately – there has been a distinct
lack of decency. Maybe it’s just the Corinthian way, but it’s certainly not the
Christian way. This church has become a mirror image of the city of Corinth.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">This seaport city is busy and bustling,
cliquey and cultish. Our city is a melting pot of Jews and Greeks, soldiers and
sailors and slaves, philosophers and freedmen, prostitutes and peddlers and
trades-people. </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">And this Church is no different; made up of
all and sundry, a sure sign that the Spirit of God is not concerned with
status. Diverse: yes. Yet, divisive. Our people scrabble and squabble, dead set
to defend their social standing. We are not so different from the rest of the
Corinth, and we ought to be. Just like Corinth, we too are large and
licentious; full of sexual immorality, idolatry, lawsuits, and a complete lack
of unity. But we <i>ought</i> to be different because we are a body, we are <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">his </i>body – that’s another of the
brilliant things Paul wrote about. He said Christ is the head and we are like a
body with many parts, whether Jews or Gentiles, slaves or free, male or female
– by God’s Spirit we experience unity even in the midst of our diversity. In
this body, all belong, all are blessed, all are loved. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ"> </span></span>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Love. Paul had a lot to say about that in
his letter too. I remember it well: </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-NZ"><br />"Love
is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered,
it keeps no records of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with
the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails." </span></span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Love; the greatest gift of all. “Follow the
way of love,” Paul said, and I’m certain he doesn’t mean the way of
prostitution at Aphrodite’s temple – the goddess of love, she’s called, but her
way is reckless and disrespectful. The kind of love Paul is talking about,
the love of God in Christ, that’s ... indispensable. And I wouldn’t exchange that
for the world, not for wealth nor wisdom. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">But some of my brothers and sisters take
pride in precisely those things; so called wealth and so called wisdom. They’ve
secured a high standing for themselves and are desperate to defend their
independence. They won’t let anyone hold them up or hold them down, they think
their honour is at stake. And at the Table they won’t even wait, everything is
a race to the top. Even in worship. Words that were once spoken to God alone
have become a resounding gong and an endless drone. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">I’m glad Paul wrote to remind us of who we
were when we were called; without wisdom and without honour, weak and wounded,
foolish and frail. And Christ our Lord has born our weaknesses and our
foolishness; he has become for us our strength, our righteousness, and our
redemption. That’s what Paul wanted us all to remember. Sophia: the wisdom of
God, the Spirit of God, the power of God. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">I praise you our God, Father, Son and Holy
Spirit. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Cate Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16829987810740091629noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951584766607585374.post-41864909964887981342013-05-16T23:20:00.000-07:002013-05-16T23:37:12.792-07:00Brother<i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A reflection inspired by a story Jesus told about a father and his sons (Luke 15:11-32), informed by Tim Keller's 'The Prodigal God', and encouraged by Malcolm Gordon's song 'Won't You Come Home', written from the perspective of a younger sister in the household. </span></span></i><br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">(<span style="font-size: small;">NB: If you want to read this, you have to read<span style="font-size: small;"> it out loud to yourself.<span style="font-size: small;">) </span></span></span></span></span></i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ"> I. </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Brother, you’ve
been gone too long. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">you packed your
bags months ago</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">but you’d left
long before</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">you walked out
that door. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">You made your
escape in your imagination </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">and only your
shadow remained in our midst. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">What were you
waiting for? </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">You could have cut
the cords </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">quickly and
cleanly. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Instead,</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">you pulled at
unravelling threads. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Now our lives
are frayed</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">split and
separated. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">And you asked
him to do it, </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">to split the
inheritance, </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">to separate the
land and sell it off </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">so you could
have your share. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">But what you
were really asking him to do</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">was to separate
himself from you, </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">that split his
heart in two. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">But you never
knew</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">how words that
were spoken</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">left gentle
hearts broken. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">You never knew</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">because you
shielded your eyes</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">as you said
your goodbyes. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">If only you
knew</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">how we loved
you. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">You’re my
brother</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">and I never</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">wanted you to
leave. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Won’t you co<span style="font-size: small;">me home?</span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ"><span>II.<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-NZ"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Brother, you’ve
been gone too long. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Dad’s been
waiting for you </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">ever since you
went away. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">He stands for
hours looking down the lane, </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">one hand on his
back, one hand on his cane. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">He’s delusional
in his old age; </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">every day he
asks our brother, </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">“where’s my
child? </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Where's my boy?
</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">When’s he
coming home?”</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">“How am I to
know?!” he shouts at our father. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">“Am I my
brother’s keeper?!” </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">He’s been missing
you, you know, </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">our brother,
the first born, the beneficiary of the estate. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">He’s been
missing you, but he’d never admit it. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">He’s working
himself into the ground, you know,</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">just to forget
that you’re not around. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Busy
forgetting. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Busy fretting. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Mum’s been
doing that too – </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">fretting, that
is, not forgetting. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Her eyes well
up each time she remembers</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">how her child
is out of her reach, </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">how her child
is beyond her grasp. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">She breathes
out a sob and breathes in a gasp. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">She doesn’t
know where you are, </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ"><span> </span>and it worries her. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">She doesn’t
know how you are, </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ"><span> </span>and it wounds her. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">With both hands
on her heart</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">she wails in
fits and starts, </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">it’s tearing
this family apart. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">It’s as if you
were dead, only worse. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">I wish you were
dead. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">At least then
we’d know where you are. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Instead, </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">you could be
anywhere. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Anywhere but
here</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ"><span> </span>where you are loved</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ"><span> </span>where you belong. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">I’ve been
missing you too, </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">every time I’ve
been thinking of you. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">And I think of
you all the time, </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">brother of
mine. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">You’re my brother,
</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">and I need you
here. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Won’t you come
home?<span> </span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ"><span> </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ"><span> III.<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-NZ"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Brother, you’ve
been gone too long. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">So, I’ve packed
my bag too, </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">I’m coming to
find you. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Our brother
says I’m being ridiculous, </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">he says I’ll
die out there. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">I know he’s
right, </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">but I don’t
know if he cares. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">I hardly
recognise him anymore, </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">he's not who he
was before. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">He’s bitter,</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ"><span> </span>broken,</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ"><span> </span>bereft. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Only I am left,
</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">both my
brothers are dead. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">My father has
two lost sons. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">One is far, one
is near; </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">both are loved,
both are heirs. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">My father has
two loved sons. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">My brothers,
your inheritance </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">is neither land
nor livestock, but love; </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">neither
materials nor money, but mercy. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Brothers, by
birth you belong, </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">since birth you
are beloved. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 36pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">“Come!
Quickly!” I hear my father call. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">“My son is
here! Here is my son!” </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 36pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">With legs in
full stride</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">and arms open
wide,</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">he runs. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">With cloak
waving </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">and voice
trailing,</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">he runs. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">With everybody
staring </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">and not even
caring,</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">he runs. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">You’re my
brother, </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">and you’ve come
back, </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">you’ve come
home.</span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ"><span><span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-NZ"></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ"> IV. </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Brother, you’ve
been gone too long. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Come and eat, </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">come to the
feast. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Let the whole
household celebrate, </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">let the whole
family rejoice! </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">For you were
lost and then found, </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">you are now
safe and sound. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">You are here,
you are held, you are home. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">He’s given you
his cloak and his ring, </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">people laugh,
and dance, and sing. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">But someone is
missing. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">When will my
eldest brother come in?</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">He’s out in the
fields, has anyone told him?</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Wait, he won’t
like this, no, not at all. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">If he comes in
there’ll surely be a brawl. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">It’s too late,
he’s here, but he won’t come in, </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">instead, he
calls the old man out to him.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">“What have you
done?” I hear my brother say, </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">“I don’t want
him here, send him away!</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">He’s caused
enough hurt, </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">he's caused
enough pain!</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">I never left, I
never disobeyed. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">All these years
I’ve been slaving for you, </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">don't deny it,
you know that it’s true!” </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">“My child,” he
says, “you’re not my slave, you’re my son. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">I know you’ve
been hurt by what your brother has done.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">My child, you
are always with me, </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">I will always
love you.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">I have given
you all I ever had</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">and now it’s
time to celebrate and be glad. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Celebrate; my
child is here, my child is home. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Celebrate; your
brother is here, your brother is home. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Celebrate; you
are here, you are home. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">This is where
my children belong.”</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">“But I’ve been
here this whole time!” the eldest says.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">“I’ve been here
this whole time and you never celebrated. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">No calves, no
goats,</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">no rings, no
cloaks. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Nothing. You
never gave me anything!” </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">One of my
brothers is home</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">but I’m afraid
my other brother will leave. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">He can’t go
though, </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">we can’t go
through this again. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Here is where
this family belongs. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">“My child,” our
father whispers again, </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">“you are always
with me,</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">I have always
loved you.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">My child, won’t
you come in?”</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">He stares my
brother full in the face. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">With his hands
open at his side, he waits. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">You’re my
brother <br />
and you are loved. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">This is your
home. </span></span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YTr5EpLroYw/UZXLt80G4qI/AAAAAAAAAFY/itApgIBly0o/s1600/Lost+Son.jpg"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YTr5EpLroYw/UZXLt80G4qI/AAAAAAAAAFY/itApgIBly0o/s320/Lost+Son.jpg" /></a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span>Cate Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16829987810740091629noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951584766607585374.post-53694180974843593372013-03-24T16:32:00.001-07:002013-03-25T18:30:08.854-07:00Leaving<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-NZ">New Zealand scores shockingly high on the domestic abuse scale. This breaks my heart, and the following poem is what fell out. I want to protect you from the words and imagery used here, but more than I want to protect you, I want to protect those for whom this is a reality. So I'm turning the light on to help us see these things for what they are and to cry out for justice on behalf of the voiceless. </span></span> <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">He’s hurting me. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">He’s holding my wrists in his hands and
he’s hurting me. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">My fists are clenched tight. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">His fingers are white. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">He towers over me and ties me up with
words. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">I cower before him and fight to find
freedom. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">In the struggle I kick </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ"> and
curse</span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ"> and
crumble. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">My knees hit the floor, hands raised,
head lowered. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Limp limbs held fast in his fists. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">He throws my hands from his, </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">telling me I could leave, </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">but I’d never be able to live without
him. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">He’s right, I could leave. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">But I can’t move. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">My body is bound, a heap on the ground. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">I find shelter between the wall and the
door. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">I just don’t know what to do anymore. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">My voice cries out to the God above, </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">“How long, O Lord, must I call for help,</span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ"> before
you will listen?</span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ"> before
you will save? </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Why do you wait and watch</span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">while strife unfolds and injustice
abounds? </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Why are you so far from saving me?</span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Where are you?"</span></span></i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">"Wake up," you whisper, "open your eyes."</span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">The nightmare is over. </span></span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ"> </span></span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">You’re right there, right here. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">You’re healing me. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">You’re holding my hands in yours and
you’re healing me. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">My palms are marred. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Your palms are scarred. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">You come to us and cover the corruption
between us, </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">I wait before you and find rest in your
freedom. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">In your peace I breathe </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ"> and
live</span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ"> and
belong. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">My knees are no longer next to my chest</span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">as my body unfolds <br />
and my spirit is told, </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">you will never leave me nor forsake me. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">You’re right, you won’t leave. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">With you, I live. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Now I can move. </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">I know just what to do. </span></span></i></span></div>
Cate Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16829987810740091629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951584766607585374.post-84000474996858668332013-02-23T23:56:00.000-08:002013-02-24T11:36:51.946-08:00We Belong<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Being the shortest of the months, February
is almost over. For me, this month began out in the wops with a bunch of young
adults who are eager to live lives of faith with integrity and intentionality.
I had the privilege and the pleasure of being a bit of a mentor to some of the
participants. We talked and taught, we sang and sat silent, we played and we
prayed. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-NZ">One night, around midnight, I sat down with
Zoe, Tessa and Trevor (Petra lay down on the couch and went to sleep). We had a
pen or two and some paper, and a couple of guitars. Life happens differently
when it’s late at night and your body and your brain are tired. In our fatigue
we discovered a lullaby; a song to put our souls at rest. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-NZ">I learnt something about God that night; something
about us partnering in the creation of stuff; something about us being made in
the image of God the Creator. I had some words, Tessa had some music, Zoe had
some melodies, Trevor had some questions, and Petra had a stillness for us to
sing over. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-NZ">I rejoiced as words became lyrics, and
lyrics became a melody, and a melody became a song - a song that gets stuck in
my spirit. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-NZ">I wrote the words a while back. They were
about the people of St Paul’s Church in Katikati. They were about journey and pilgrimage
and being loved by God and by one another. But they were always about more than
just the people of St Paul’s; they were about the disciples on the road to
Emmaus, they were about the different people I’ve journeyed with along the way,
they were about The Way. I don’t have the words to describe what I mean – that’s
what the song is for. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-NZ">What was even more exciting was when Sam
turned our late night strumming with sore fingers on steel stringed guitars
into something beautiful. For me to share this with you I had to try my luck at
movie making. I’ve used an image depicting the story of the disciples on the
road to Emmaus. I don’t know who this picture belongs too; you’ll have to ask
Jason, he’s the one who introduced me to this work of art (Jason and Google). </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-size: small;">This is “We Belong”. This is for you.</span> </span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwivekAv4xtjPfjzJJub15feDhJyUbrkEpduWJKRY5P_aHlm5kJgOgV3kYzFZc_eJ_n35sD-w_f08K45jsemg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>Cate Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16829987810740091629noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951584766607585374.post-59042975237929738992013-01-17T15:41:00.000-08:002013-01-17T15:41:24.987-08:00O Little Town of Bethlehem <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]--><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">We spent last month retelling the
Christmas story. There were angels who sang, and shepherds who ran, there were innkeepers
who didn’t have any room, and there was a stable which was perfect because Mary’s
baby would be born soon. All this singing and running and rooming and birthing
happened in the little town of Bethlehem in Judea. </span></span>
<br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">But this month there is another story
emerging from another Bethlehem, the one in Tauranga, the one I can walk to
from my little house on the hill. The story goes like this: </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">In Bethlehem
in Tauranga there was a school. This school sent some students, some teachers, and
some parents to a school in Ma’hanga in Kenya to build classrooms and to build <br />
cross-cultural relationships. The people of Bethlehem were in a minivan on the
Nairobi-Murang’a highway in the heavy rain. The van rolled and ran into a
ditch. The crash claimed four lives and bruised many others. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">This story feels like a far cry from the
birth of Jesus Christ – a far, aching, guttural cry of grief. </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">But maybe it’s not too far. Jesus is
known as the Suffering Servant; “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief”
(Isaiah 53:3). The birth of Jesus Christ isn’t separated from his death, it’s
the same life we’re talking about, it’s the same story. The story of how God
became human, the story of how God came to be with us, the story of how God
came so we could be home. Christmas points to Easter, where God is bringing light
from darkness, hope from despair, and life from death. </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Life and death. These two stories go
together, like this: life, death, life. This is true for those who died in the
crash in Kenya too. These faithful followers of Christ have been living God’s story;
their lives tell the tale of a God who is compassionate and generous and so
full of love it overflows. Their death doesn’t change that. Life, death, life –
that’s how the story goes. </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">But for those who remain, those recovering
in hospital and those racked with grief, know this: the Risen Christ is with
you, his scarred hands hold yours and his bruised body bears yours. Your story
is a part of God’s story, your life is a part of God’s life. </span></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8PkYZHTx8vs/UPiKmuScAdI/AAAAAAAAAE8/6r07y87kOAc/s1600/woman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8PkYZHTx8vs/UPiKmuScAdI/AAAAAAAAAE8/6r07y87kOAc/s320/woman.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Behold! God is making all things new. From Bethlehem in Judea to Bethlehem in Tauranga and everywhere in between. Someday soon there will be singing and running and rooming and rebirthing. </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Maranatha, come Lord Jesus. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
Cate Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16829987810740091629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951584766607585374.post-3289894749849772042013-01-05T20:09:00.000-08:002013-01-05T20:09:04.379-08:00Of Camels and Kings<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>A reflection on Matthew 2:1-12 for Epiphany 2013</i> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">We’re travellers, we
are. Traipsing our way across deserts and wandering in wide open spaces;
tracking our way through valleys and over treacherous mountain ranges. </span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">How we wound up here
in Bethlehem is beyond me. I’m just the bag boy, packing camels and carting
water. The others, they’re the smart ones – the scholars. But out on the road,
out in the wilderness, we’re all travellers wandering beneath the same sky. </span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">The sky! That’s where
their heads are – always up in the clouds, always turned toward the heavens.
These scholars – these astrologers – are forever consulting scrolls and
counting the stars and charting the skies. They can’t get enough of it! They’re
as excitable as children, and the gods know they’re grown men, old in years,
long in the tooth. </span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">I feel like I have to
be the sensible one, telling them we need to start thinking about making camp,
the camels can’t carry on much longer and look, the light is fading. Despite
the long days, they’re up all night gazing at the lights beyond. By dawn we’re
on the move again as the sun emerges in the east. </span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">The East. That’s
where we’ve come from, and come for what? For the dirty, dusty streets of
Bethlehem?! For the beloved City of David?! This doesn’t look like any city
I’ve ever seen before, and besides, who on earth is David? </span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">They say they’ve come
for a king, but they saw the king when we were in the City of Jerusalem. King
Herod, King of the Jews, that’s what he told them. I’ve always wanted to see a
king; to be in the presence of a powerful ruler, to sit with them in their splendour.
Maybe I’ll get my chance on the way back. When we were there I had to wait
behind the palace with the beasts and the bags. Better luck next time, I hope. </span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Yet King Herod told
them to head to Bethlehem, so here we are. But this is no place for a king; no palace
to accommodate him, no placards announcing the news of his birth, no sign of
nobility…</span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">But look a-yonder! Can
you see that star?! How could you miss it?! This is the star they’ve been
talking about all this time. Each night the men point to the sky and discuss
the stars, telling me their names and teaching me about navigation. But tonight, tonight it’s
like I’ve noticed this star for the first time, the way it blinks and beckons.</span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">I bump into the back
of a camel and shake my eyes off the night sky. Why have we stopped? I step to
the side and see the Magi still and silenced – the wise with no words to say. It’s
quite a sight; legs astride, eyes surprised, mouths open wide. I let out a laugh
and it echoes along the empty streets. I hold my mouth with one hand and slap
my knee with the other. The men throw back their heads and their bellies shake
as their joy bursts from their bodies. How undignified, how delightful! </span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">No one can say a word,
but we know we’ve arrived. We’ve caused such a ruckus a man comes to the door,
but instead of cursing us he calls us to come in. I follow, leaving the animals
to fend for themselves. Inside there’s a child and his mother. She’s not much
older than me, and he’s just a wee boy. </span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">We bow to him, and
for the second time tonight I put my hand to my knee as I lower my body to the
floor. My fellow travellers bring forth their treasures; gold, frankincense,
myrrh – gifts fit for a king. King of the Jews, they say, the Messiah, the
Christ. But this is no ordinary king, not by any means. Yet I know, here in the
back of beyond, far from any palace or place of honour, I am in the presence of
a King. </span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">His name is Jesus, she says. He will be called 'Immanuel' the Magi say, Immanuel, God with us. </span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span lang="EN-NZ">I make a face and the
child grins at me. I grin back. How glorious! God is with us!</span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Cate Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16829987810740091629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951584766607585374.post-9329349737879137132012-12-21T16:01:00.001-08:002012-12-21T16:01:18.430-08:00Two Turtle Doves<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4TESbzJRZEg/UNT3P_j4xHI/AAAAAAAAAEs/FtKdp11IxWw/s1600/Doves+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" eea="true" height="152" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4TESbzJRZEg/UNT3P_j4xHI/AAAAAAAAAEs/FtKdp11IxWw/s400/Doves+copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I was at my folks place for dinner a few weeks back. While my ma was working away in the kitchen she handed me the last of a loaf of homemade bread and asked me to feed the doves who were wandering around on the deck outside.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Just hold it in your hands, like this,” she said with her arms out wide on either side, “and they’ll come to you.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Like any good daughter I did as I was told. I wooed the two turtle doves by speaking gently, moving slowly, and making cooing noises in the back of my mouth. They perched on my wrists and pecked from my hands. I was pleased. </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">My parents have this wonderful habit of welcoming strays and vagabonds into their midst; cats, dogs, birds, boys. These doves were no different. Nobody knows where they’ve come from, or where they return to when the day is done, but their presence outside the kitchen window is refreshing. </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As I stood there with my hands full of bread and birds I sang to myself, “on the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me two turtle doves…” I pondered Christmas and the coming of Christ in our midst. I wondered at the way that God, in the Christ-child, spoke gently by moving slowly and making cooing noises in the back of his mouth. Wooing us and welcoming us into God’s family with open hands and outstretched arms, strays and vagabonds with a place to stay, a place to belong, a place to love and be loved. </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Welcome home. Christ is coming. Merry Christmas. </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">xx</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Cate Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16829987810740091629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951584766607585374.post-43703216257847652382012-12-11T00:26:00.000-08:002012-12-11T00:26:29.571-08:00Gumboots and Grace and Growing Up<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I have two secrets. Number one: secretly I am a tomboy and all I want to do is wear gumboots (or better still, bare feet) and climb fences and cross rivers. Number two: secretly I am a girly girl and all I want to do is wear dresses and put pretty ribbons in my hair. Those who know me say this is no secret at all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I have recently rediscovered a poem I wrote for my dear friend Jane a few years back. We were only a few years old when we met, about three. Jane was a rural girl too – still is I’d say. Now that she’s all grown up she’s elegant and eloquent but can still sport a pair of gumboots like the best of us. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I remembered this poem because Jane has just returned from the UK after being away for a while. Ngaire’s back too, but just for the summer. We grew up together as well; working at the supermarket and writing notes in class. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I’m looking forward to reuniting with these two and with our other rural girls later this summer. Until then, this is for you ladies (I've taken creative licence because 'life is all about exaggeration'); <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Two Girls in Blue Dresses<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Two girls in blue dresses<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">With the finest of gestures <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Would never have pestered<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">For an immediate response.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">But patiently waited<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">With breath that was bated <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Lest their proposal be stated<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">As an outrageous idea.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">And so there they sat;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">With their hands in their laps<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">And their coats and their hats<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">On a hook by the door. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">It is tough for a girl<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">With a string of white pearls<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">And a head of dark curls <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">To quietly sit. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Likewise with the other, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Who lacked naught but a brother<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Yet required another<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">As her partner in crime. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">With eyes wide and bright<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">They requested they might<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Explore what great sights<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Lay about in their midst. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">It felt like forever<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">And they thought that they’d never<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Hear a response as to whether<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Or not they may go. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">With a sip of her tea<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">And a pat on the knee<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Each mother agreed<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">That indeed the girls could. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Promptly removed <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Were their dresses and shoes<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">That remained, but unused<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">In a heap on the floor. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Gallivanting about<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">They’d cry and they’d shout<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">With the delight that they felt<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">For the things they had found. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Many a-days <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Were spent in these ways<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Though it was but a phase<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">In the life of these girls. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Even now they still meet<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">For a coffee and a treat - <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Wearing shoes on their feet;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">An acceptable attire. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">These two dear friends,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">A bit like odds and ends, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Need never contend <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">For a place in the others heart.</span></div>
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Cate Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16829987810740091629noreply@blogger.com0