Love is something we tend to think of in sentimental terms, as though it were dessert after the meat and potatoes of life. God wants us to see that love is the meat and potatoes of life, as well as the dessert.

Accordingly, Paul’s great meditation on Christian love is part of a much longer letter written to a fledgling church facing significant troubles within and tremendous odds without. Paul spends most of the letter talking to the Corinthians about how they are cannibalizing themselves spiritually speaking. Their only hope is the one thing they haven’t tried: the love of God which was incarnate in Christ now must become incarnate in them. Apart from that the church will grow sicklier and ultimately die, and the world will be no different for its having existed.

Throughout church history, the Corinthian church has been the “poster-child” of problem churches. It is the church no church wants to be like. It is also the church every church comforts itself that it is not like. This is an easy opinion to maintain, as the Corinthians’ problems are catalogued in Scripture, and ours are not. But this way of thinking, aside from being delusional in many cases, completely misses the point of 1Corinthians.

People are people, sinners are sinners, and Christians are both. All our problems the world over stem from the same few root evils. By holding up the Corinthians with their problems in full bloom, God intends that we learn what those problems stem from and root those plants out of our lives altogether, not seek to groom them just short of full flower. Thus while we start out looking through a window at the Corinthians, we end up looking in a mirror at ourselves. (James 1.23-25.) Whatever your church family (or home family) is facing, the key to health within and potency without is Christ’s love in the midst. If Christ’s love was sufficient for the Corinthians with all their challenges, it is more than sufficient for us.

Several things have instigated this quest. One is Anthony Bradley’s recent article The New Legalism which warns of the evangelical church’s tendency to be faddish, with each new fad constituting in effect a new legalism by which churches and Christians are measured. The two hot trends Bradley addresses are the “missional” movement and the “radical Christian” movement. Bradley wonders why it isn’t enough to live an ordinary Christian life as set forth in the Bible. Wouldn’t being ordinary in that sense in fact be extraordinary? Wouldn’t it in fact be what the church most needs – and for that matter what the world most needs and God most wants? Wouldn’t it also be the easiest and the hardest thing that any Christian could do? And isn’t that one of the distinctives of true discipleship – that it is the easiest and the hardest thing we will ever do? (Mat 11.29-30; 16.24-25.) I am extrapolating on Bradley’s article here, so make sure you read it for yourself.

Now before I go any further, let me say that about a year ago I preached a series on evangelism, and my biggest take-away was that I needed, and my congregation needed, to be much more ready with the gospel, actively looking for people whose doors are open even a crack and not passing by without doing our best to get Jesus in the door. So I take it as a given that I and my congregation need to have our feet better “shod with preparation of the gospel of peace,” which is how the greatest missionary ever put it. (Eph 6.15.) (Maybe I should start the “shod” movement. Is your church “shod”? I sense a need for Christian designer footwear. I wouldn’t try to profit from this, mind you – I just want to help the church. I am available, however, for book deals and conferences.)

The other recent event which prompted my quest was hearing Andy Stanley at Chic-fil-A Leadercast state that every organization needs a one sentence mission statement so everyone in the organization knows exactly what they are about and can fully engage. Stanley claims clarity is the most important thing in any organization. Growth tends to produce complexity which is the enemy of clarity and eats away at the health of the organization. Therefore clarity must be fought for all along the way.

Now, pulling these threads together, it seems to me that the problem with many Christian trends, movements, and emphases is not that they are unbiblical but that they unwittingly substitute a biblical part for the biblical whole. This is like taking mega-doses of one vitamin to the neglect of others; it may give you a burst of energy in the short term but it leads to health problems in the long term – which in turn fuels the quest for the next wonder vitamin. The end result is a lot of less-than-healthy, vitamin obsessed Christians – along with a few rich Christians in the vitamin business.

This phenomenon, present throughout church history but never more so than today, is part of what I think Paul was speaking to when he said that we need to grow up: “No longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about by every wind of doctrine . . . .” (Eph 4.14.) Sure, Paul is addressing false doctrine, but he is addressing more, for “children” are characterized not only by gullibility, but even more so by insecurity and the attendant mortification of “missing out.”

So if I am looking for a mission statement that will give members not only clarity but constant alignment to true biblical north, I have to answer the question, What are the defining purposes of the church? I took up that question as part of my series on evangelism and concluded that there are three – witness, worship, and life. I will flesh this out later, but meantime here a nutshell version of what I came up with:

In the Great Commission, Jesus gives us one of the defining purposes of the Church – to make disciples of all the nations, converting them, baptizing them, and teaching them to observe all that he has commanded. (Mat 28.19-20.) Staggering in scope, the Great Commission is quite literally “mission impossible” apart from the foundation and the promise that go with it. The foundation is Christ’s kingship – his possession of all authority in heaven and on earth. (Mat 28.18.) The promise is Christ’s pledge to give us victory in the long run – that’s what it means for Christ to be “with us always, even to the end of the age.” (Mat 28.20.)

All of this makes the Gospel an inescapably royal announcement carrying equal parts pledge of royal mercy and demand of royal submission. There is no way for such an announcement to enter the world quietly and without a ruckus. It is especially important, therefore, that we who bring the royal announcement carry credentials proving our official position as well that of our message. (Paul describes those who bring the message as heralds, ambassadors, and stewards, all of whom must carry credentials (1Cor 4.1; 2Tim 1.11).) 

So along with the message, there must be an accompanying demonstration of royal authority. And this is where the other two defining purposes of the Church come into play. What are those defining purposes? Offering praise to God (1Pet 2.5, 9) and being God’s manifest wisdom to the world (Eph 3.6, 10-11). In short, worship driven by true love to God and body life driven by true love to one another. (Mat 22.37-39; John 13.34-35; 1John 4.7-12.) These are the only credentials neither the world nor Satan can counterfeit. These are the power of God in our midst and the power of God for our message. Bottom line: We dare not fail to bring the royal message, and we dare not bring it without our royal credentials.

My idea of a good mission statement would capture that in a single sentence. Here is my first stab: The Church, a community for living life as it was meant to be, worshiping God as He deserves to be, and serving others as they ought to be. Constructive criticism is most welcome.

Thursday is Ascension Day, and Sunday is Ascension Sunday. Most evangelical churches will do little to commemorate the event. It is the least understood and appreciated milestone in the saga of redemption. Yet it is the milestone the modern church most needs to recover.

Christians instinctively know that the turning point of history – the cosmic D-Day if you will – is when Jesus begins to assert his lordship, not over heaven, but over this world – the world where we live and have kids and go to work and elect politicians. To the modern evangelical church, Jesus will launch that D-Day when he returns, upon his second advent. It is no wonder the evangelical church is so fixated on Christ’s return.

But the early church had a different D-Day, and so did our Pilgrim and Puritan forefathers who settled this land and gave us the Christian heritage we love to point back to. To them, D-day was Christ’s ascension. That was when Jesus took his throne and began to assert his lordship over this fallen world. Accordingly, they had a very different understanding of the church’s marching orders. The D-Day invasion order was the Great Commission, and Christ was claiming everything. Not just scattered individuals and churches, but all nations were to be brought into willing discipleship and glad obedience. (Mat 28.18-20.) Life, like Christ’s tunic, was seamless. (John 19.23.) Winning souls and founding nations was all of a piece. And victory, though it lay down a long, hard road, was guaranteed. (Mat 28.20.) It was this sense of Christ having already won the decisive victory, of the tide having turned, of being on offense, of sure victory over the long haul, that gave our forefathers their humble confidence, their other-worldly this-worldliness, their patient expectancy, and their buoyant air that said to the world, “Come join the party – it’s great. Besides, Christ has already won so you might as well come along quietly.”

A couple of centuries ago, a major shift occurred in the evangelical church. Instead of seeing Christ’s first advent as having launched a cosmic D-Day, evangelicals began believe he had launched a cosmic Dunkirk – a massive evacuation. The church’s marching orders were to remain on the beach and prepare to be evacuated. The Great Commission meant trying to convince the local villagers to come join us. Christ’s ascension was viewed essentially like someone going upstairs – it explains where Jesus is and where he will come from when he returns. Christ’s sitting on his throne was viewed like a heavyweight boxer sitting on his stool between rounds, waiting for the final bell to re-enter the ring and finish the fight. While Christ was Lord of lords and King of kings, he was not presently asserting that lordship over this world. His victory was effectively limited to atoning for sins so that believers could go to heaven when they die.

This new view of things has shaped the evangelical church ever since. It has created a number of intractable difficulties, essentially tying one arm behind the church’s back. Life is no longer seamless; it is divided into “spiritual” (those things Christ is currently claiming) and “secular” (those things he is not). The church is charged with “influencing” the secular realm without speaking directly to it in the name of Christ. As a result, truth itself has been bifurcated, and our culture never tires of reminding us that Christian truth is “private” truth which does not belong in the public square.

All of this explains, I think, why our forefathers, despite their vastly inferior numbers and resources, were far more potent than we. They were blessed in a way that we aren’t because they honored Christ as lord in a way that we don’t. I am not suggesting we worship the faith of our forefathers; I am suggesting we look where they looked to find that faith – to the Scriptures. But we must do so with openness to the possibility that they had Christ’s lordship right and we have it wrong. And on that point, there is no better place to begin than with the ascension of Christ – the event the early church celebrated for centuries before it celebrated the birth of Christ.

We begin with the fact that Jesus viewed his ascension as a critical part of his work, and he distinguished it from his resurrection. When Mary Magdalene, weeping outside the tomb, first recognized the resurrected Jesus, she was overjoyed. (John 20.16.) But Jesus told her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to my Father; but go to my brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God.’” (John 20.17.) Jesus thus made it clear that his resurrection was not the end of the story – that something more awaited. Mary, on the other hand, was tempted to be satisfied with less than she should be. She was prone, amidst the joy of Jesus’ resurrection, to see it as the end point rather than as a glorious step on the way to an even more glorious end. What was a temptation for Mary is also a temptation for us. Jesus pointed Mary and the disciples to his ascension, and I think he would do the same for us. We, it would seem, need it even more than they did.

Christ’s ascension was when he came before the Ancient of Days and received “dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages should serve him.” (Dan 7.13-14.) The ascension was when Jesus, the one born to “rule the nations with a rod of iron,” was “caught up to the throne of God.” (Rev 12.5.) It was when the Devil was cast out of heaven, for with Jesus’ conquest over sin and death, the Devil had no more rightful accusation he could bring against God’s people, and having lost his case, he was thrown down the courthouse steps. (Rev 12.8-9.) Jesus’ ascension is when God’s verdict was proclaimed: “Now salvation and strength and the kingdom of our God and the power of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.” (Rev 12.10.)

One of the things that throws off the modern Church is the experience of conflict, set backs, and defeats, which seem inconsistent with the victory and reign of Christ in the here and now. This thinking comes from a misunderstanding of the ways of God. He desires not only that Christ have victory over every enemy and impediment to his kingdom, but that we as his disciples share in that victory. (Compare Dan 7.13-14 with 7.21-22, and Rev 12.10 with 12.11.) Just as God gave Israel part in David’s victory over Goliath, so God gives us part in Christ’s victory over Satan. When David battled Goliath, Israel stood helplessly by, even as we stood helplessly by while Christ battled Satan. But once David conquered Goliath, the battle became Israel’s. She entered into David’s victory by extending it throughout the land over all the Philistines. (1Sam 17.52.) Thus the warfare Israel entered into was not a problem but a privilege.

The same is true for us, and that is what Jesus is talking about in the Great Commission. (Mat 28.18-20.) Christ is calling us down out of the bleachers and giving us the privilege of entering into his warfare and sharing his victory. (Dan 7.22, 27; Rev 12.11.) It is not that he needs us, but that he loves us. It is not a problem but a privilege.

But for the modern Church to take up this privilege, we must recover the true meaning of Christ’s ascension. The tragedy of the modern church is that she, like Mary Magdalene, is clinging to a resurrected but unascended Jesus. (John 20.17.) The modern church is waiting for Jesus to become lord of the here and now. As such, she is waiting for an event that will never occur, precisely because it already occurred. This is why John, 2000 years ago, opened Revelation with these words: “Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth.” (Rev 1.4-5.)

Why is marriage that way? Because God is that way. There is no bigger difference in the universe – indeed, no bigger difference conceivable – than the difference between God as creator and us as creatures. Yet God bound Himself to us and gave Himself for us. Why? Because that’s who God is. That is why John says, “God is love.” (1John 4.8, 16.)

But God’s love does not consist in a cosmic “Whatever, whomever, however.” It consists in making us in His image, giving Himself to us (once in creation and again supremely in Christ), and calling us to be like Him. (Gen 1.26; Psalm 8.3-9; 1John 4.9-11.) This is why God made us “in His image . . . male and female.” (Gen 1.27; 2.22-24.) The Church is the restoration of what humanity was created to be – the Bride of God. Human marriage was created to reflect the cosmic marriage between God and humanity. (Eph 5.30-32.) The Bible calls this a “great mystery,” meaning that it is too wonderful and profound for us to fully take in. (Eph 5.32; Psalm 139.6.)

Here is another great mystery: Being loved by God does not make us like God; loving like God does. (1John 4.10-11.) How can we love like God? Can we love God in precisely the same way He loves us? No, for our love will always be dependent on His. (1John 4.19.) But this is where the wonder of marriage shines forth. In marriage, we have the privilege of loving like God – of loving first, of loving unmeritedly, of ministering life, and of loving someone who is fundamentally “other.” We have the privilege of loving a mystery and a wonder – someone who at the most fundamental level looks different from us, moves differently than us, thinks differently, relates differently, values differently, needs differently, and gives differently. God intends this mystery and wonder to draw us to the opposite sex, just as the mystery and wonder of God should draw us to Him. (Prov 30.18-19; Judges 13.18; Job 9.10; Psalm 89.5-16; Isa 9.6; Col 2.2-3.)

But in a fallen world, the mystery and wonder can get misplaced. The mystery and wonder of God can be shifted to the created order so that we end up worshiping it (or an aspect of it) instead of God. (Rom 1.25.) Similarly, boys and girls can grow up finding their own sex more of a mystery and wonder, and therefore more of an attraction, than the opposite sex. I get it. I really do. Two of my closest friends in highschool and college were gay. (I say “were” only because they are both dead (from AIDS).)

What we need to realize (gays, too) is that we are all in the same boat of being disoriented from the ultimate mystery, wonder, and attraction of life – the one true God. (Rom 3.10-11.) All of our other disorientations stem from that and show up in each of us in great variety. Some have impulses toward sexual disorientation, whether toward the opposite sex (serial partners, compulsive flirtation or fantasies) or the same sex. Some have other impulses – to lie, to cheat, to steal, to gorge, to hoard, to take advantage, to manipulate and control, to be impatient or angry, to lack empathy toward others or to pity themselves. And many of us, if not most, have more than one. (Rom 1.28-31.)

Whatever our symptoms, there is a sense in which each of us can say, “I was born that way.” (Psalm 51.5; 58.3; Rom 7.15.) But properly understood, that statement is an admission of the deepness of our need for God’s transforming love and power, not an excuse to remain as we are. (Psalm 51.5-12.) To say there is a genetic component is to say nothing more than God has created us body and soul. (Gen 2.7.) Everything we are and do is a mix of both. Saying that genes and environment are the whole story is a different matter. That is not a conclusion demanded by the data (contrary to popular myth), but a philosophical commitment demanded by the desire to push God out of the cosmos and out of our lives. (Rom 1.21-23, 28.) When we try to lock God out, no matter how sophisticated and scientific sounding our justifications, we always end up locking ourselves in a panic room with no door knob on the inside. What we thought would quickly save us, slowly kills us.

The panic room is not the answer; coming home is. Coming home always entails reorientation – first and fundamentally toward God in Christ. But any true reorientation toward God will always, over time, reorient everything else in our lives – what we live for, how we regard and treat others, the things we do when no one is looking, and yes, how and where our sexual desire is channeled. In areas where our disorientation runs deeply, reorientation can be a belly crawl. That is true for each of us in at least one area (and often more) that is highly personal to us. That is why Jesus called it “taking up one’s cross.” That is also why He insisted on it for all His disciples. (Luke 9.23-24.)

But it is important to remember that the way of the cross is the way of life – not just life in the by and by, but life in the here and now, life as it was meant to be. Life always entails becoming like the One in whose image we were made. This is why marriage as He created it is such an immense privilege. It is our opportunity to love like God. And this is why seeking to marry the same sex is more than mistaken; it is tragic. It misconstrues the love of God, misses out on the privilege of loving like God, and does not tell the truth about who God is and who we are.

Intro

The theme of food continues in this passage from chapter 15 and continues to serve as a metaphor for God’s love and power. Jesus assures His disciples that He is the One who bring God’s love and power into the world and into people’s lives. But He also warns them that there is something that will undercut God’s love and power – not by nullifying or limiting them, but by souring people against Christ and thus against the love and power He brings. What could sour people in this way? Jesus calls it the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. It is unusual that Jesus should refer to leaven (singular), given that the Pharisees and Sadducees were polar opposites theologically. Jesus rightly discerns, however, that the Pharisees and Sadducees are linked together at a deeper level. That deeper level of commonality is what makes their leaven the same poison leaven. To learn more, inquire within. -Alan Burrow

Questions to answer while listening

* What theme continues from ch 15 into this passage?

* What does that theme signify?

* What does Jesus remind His disciples of in vs 9-10?

* What is the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees, and what does it do?

* What is unusual about Jesus referring to the “leaven” and the “doctrine” of the “Pharisees and Sadducees”?

* What question should we be asking

* Who were the Sadducees, and what did they teach?

* Who were the Pharisees, and what did they teach?

* What characteristic do the Pharisees and Sadducees share?

* What earlier passage is this passage parallel to, and what connects them?

* What does the “sign of Jonah” mean?

* What is the first characteristic that connected the Pharisees and Sadducees at a deeper level?

* What is the second characteristic that connected the Pharisees and Sadducees at a deeper level?

* What is the third characteristic that connected the Pharisees and Sadducees at a deeper level?

* What is the fourth characteristic that connected the Pharisees and Sadducees at a deeper level?

* What is the fifth characteristic that connected the Pharisees and Sadducees at a deeper level?

Sermon intro

Jesus commended the woman of Canaan for having great faith. This is another way of saying that all disciples should seek to emulate her faith. In this sermon, we will consider the characteristics of the woman’s faith, so we know what to imitate. I hope you enjoy the sermon. Thanks for listening. -Alan Burrow

Questions to answer while listening to the sermon

* What does “eating” signify in this discussion?

* What does the woman of Canaan teach us?

* What is the first characteristic of great faith as shown by the woman of Canaan?

* What is the relation between the woman’s pleas and her worship?

* What does true worship entail?

* Where does Paul talk about this?

* What is the second characteristic of great faith as shown by the woman of Canaan?

* If two historical people have the same name, how do you tell them apart?

* What does “Son of David” signify?

* What three psalms show up again and again when the NT is explaining what it means for Jesus to be the Son of David?

* When does the NT say those three psalms we begin to be fulfilled by Jesus?

* Is Jesus the Son of David to Jews only?

* In the NT period, to come to Jesus and worship Him is to be                                                                       .

* What is the third characteristic of great faith as shown by the woman of Canaan?

* We will never come to Jesus wholeheartedly unless ___________________________________ .

* What is the fourth characteristic of great faith as shown by the woman of Canaan?

* God loves it when His children _______________________.

* What quality do James and Paul say is essential to our growing up to maturity in Christ?

* What attitude do James and Paul tell us to have toward trials?

* What is the fifth characteristic of great faith as shown by the woman of Canaan?

* God loves it when His children __________________________________________________.

Like the Centurion of Mat 8.5-13, the woman of Canaan exemplifies the faith Israel should have had but didn’t. Not even the disciples exhibited the kind of faith these two unlikely Gentiles did. (See Mat 15.32-33.) Jesus says the woman’s faith is “great.” (Mat 15.28.) She had the kind of faith every disciple should aspire to have. Let’s take a look at the characteristics of her faith, to see what comprises “great faith.”

The first characteristic of great faith is that it comes to Jesus and worships Him. (Mat 15.22, 25.) This is the cornerstone for all the rest. Great faith acts, and this is its fundamental action.

Note that the woman comes to Jesus and worships Him with her whole person. Her pleas and petitions are part of worshiping Jesus: “Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, ‘Lord, help me!’” (Mat 15.25.) This is what true worship is. It involves the presenting of one’s whole self to God. That’s what Paul is getting at when he says: “I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God that you present your bodies [i.e. your whole selves including your bodies] a living sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service [i.e. worship].” (Rom 12.1.) And the next verse flows from that: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Rom 12.2.) Paul is using OT sacrificial imagery to illustrate NT worship. This – what Paul describes in Rom 12.1-2 and what the Canaanite woman does in Mat 15.25 – is worship “in Spirit and in truth.” (John 4.23.) This is the worship the Father seeks. (Ibid.) And worshiping the Father entails worshiping the Son. (John 5.23.)

So the first characteristic of great faith is that it comes to Jesus with the whole person and worships Him with the whole person. Every prayer and petition, and every aspect of life, is part and parcel of coming to Jesus and worshiping Him. This is at once a great simplifier of life and a great test for how we are living life.

Sermon intro

When Jesus fed the 4000, there were seven baskets left over; when He fed the 500o, there were twelve baskets left over. The more of Israel Jesus feeds, the more food there is for the world. This is what the woman of Canaan was saying when she referred to dogs eating the crumbs falling from the master’s table. (Mat 15.27.) Crumbs falling from the table are not food taken from the children’s mouths; they are the natural result of children being fed. And with Jesus, it isn’t crumbs that fall from the table, but baskets full. And the more children being fed at the table, the more baskets full of food will fall from the table for the world, to which all are welcome – yes, even dogs. Jesus’ response to the Canaanite woman signaled His commitment to feed God’s children; it signified that giving food to the world would not take one crumb from their mouths. (Mat 15.26.) In fact, the more God’s children eat, the more the world is fed. If we would draw the world to God’s table, the first thing we must do is believe and eat. I hope you enjoy the sermon. Thanks for listening. -Alan Burrow

Questions to answer while listening

* What were Tyre and Sidon?

* What themes run throughout this this text?

* What do Jesus and the Canaanite woman discuss healing in terms of?

* What theme helps explain Jesus’ response to the woman, as well as the seven large baskets of left over food after feeding the 4000?

* What was one of the biggest stumbling blocks for the Jews in responding to the gospel?

* How did many Jews view the idea of Gentiles coming into the kingdom without becoming Jews?

* Why is Paul so concerned to establish God’s righteousness?

* God’s covenant people were never meant to be the reservoir of God’s salvation, but the                                                           .

* What is the significance of the baskets of left over food?

* What is the Canaanite woman saying when she refers to crumbs falling from the table?

* What did Jesus’ response to the woman signal and signify?

* The more God’s children eat,                                                      .

* Eating is a matter of what?

* What were the envious Jews like?

* What is God telling the Jews through the Canaanite woman?

* What is the table of God’s children meant to do?

* If we as God’s children want the world to come and be fed, what is the first thing we need to do?

Discussion questions for small groups

In Mat 15.21-28, Jesus and the Canaanite woman both equate “food” with experiencing Jesus’ power in our lives. David does the same thing in Psalm 34 when he says, “Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” (Psalm 34.8.) David wrote this psalm just after he had experienced God’s power in his life. Specifically, God enabled David to escape from the king of Gath by feigning madness. (1Sam 21.10 – 2.1) In celebration and gratitude, David penned Psalm 34.

1. According to David, what are some of the ways we can “taste” and see the power of God in our lives?  See Psalm 34.7, 9-10, 15, 17-19, 22.

2. Having experienced the power of God in his life, what does David want to do for us? See Psalm 34.11.

3. What does David tell us to do in order to learn the fear of God and experience His power? See Psalm 34.13-14.

4. How does David’s teaching in Psalm 34.13-14 related to what Jesus says in Mat 15.11?

Trajectory: Easter Tunnel

When Christ stood up, he did not come

backwards out of the earth like Lazarus

still wearing those strips. He was not unswallowed,

sucked out of the dark the same direction he went in,

leaving a hole savior-sized. No, he explored

deeper, dividing the dry land

in two, ripping the belly

wide.

Out again on the other side

he came while the linen

sighed into empty folds behind

him, and the dirt beneath his fingernails

smelled of a path no one had found

before. And God who had buried him in the East

looked to the West as out of death He called

His Son.

-Gwen Burrow