Five Minute Friday: Place

Over at our new Five Minute Friday headquarters, Kate Motaung hosts a flashmob writing about Place. I hardly can breathe through the grief tonight, but absolutely had to showcase at least one of my "there is a place" designs. I even hand wrote and then typed about 5 minutes of words. So very sorry, because I easily could have scampered through "place"—but evidently not at this time or in this place.


From Adam named for earth that birthed him
to Revelation's urban land with leaves that heal, fruit that feeds
God promises freedom from whims of empire
deliverance into a land
because there is a place
a geography

Exodus meant sand underfoot
{wear sandals so you easily can shake out the sand...
that's why they call them sandals}
on to the promised gift of place
where earth becomes The Land
a place of roots and crops and harvests

What is this place?

From Nederlandtsch Gedenckclanck (1626) the tune is Kömt nu met Zang, with Huub Oosterhuis' text translated by David Smith.

1. What is this place where we are meeting? Only a house, the earth its floor.
   Walls and a roof sheltering people, windows for light, an open door.
   Yet it becomes a body that lives when we are gathered here, and know our God is near.


2. Words from afar, stars that are falling, sparks that are sown in us like seed:
   names for our God, dreams, signs and wonders sent from the past are all we need.
   We in this place remember and speak again what we have heard:
   God's free redeeming word.


3. And we accept bread at this table, broken and shared, a living sign.
   Here in this world, dying and living, we are each other's bread and wine.
   This is the place where we can receive what we need to increase:
   our justice and God's peace.

another of my "there is a place" designs—backed up with promise: