"Culture" [Module#401]  (John 14:12-14)

There’s the Kingdom, it’s dynamics –
Where the rubber hits the road:
Says Lord Jesus, instigator –
“Come up here and ease your load”.
Moves the Spirit, guide and compass –
Head-on out, He’ll see you through
Mighty power, full resourcing –
Father’s will is life to you.

****

As I surf the Net for insights
Preachers plenty strut their stuff;
As I listen I hear cultures –
In a while I’ve heard enough –

To see patterns in their thinking,
How they hear the Scripture’s word –
Half they bring into their picture
Colors half of truth they’ve heard.

I’m no different, we all do it,
Makes it fun to be alive
As a thinker in this era
Helping other people thrive.

There’s Munro son of a black man
In Bahamas under Britts
Has, from insight, “Yessa, Massa
As I kneel and ring I kiss”.

There’s big Bobby whose half native,
Kenny whose part Cherokee;
Oral, also part First Nations,
Johnny – Ute, it seems to me.

In their outlook I hear echoes
Of relation to our God
From First Nations way of thinking –
Makes “prosperity” seem odd –

To the people who came stomping
’Cross this land, homesteading farms,
With their attitudes of power
“We will save you from all harm”.

Or the immigrants who followed
Each with European views,
In a pecking-order crazy –
Fresh perspectives on good news.

But the part we all are missing?
“Kingdom is a middle plate”
Twixt the “napkin” over table
And the base of “dinner plate”.

Or, to use a plastic image
Which transmits light through the pack,
Kingdom is a middle “layer”
Separation helps attack –

Our confusion in the Scripture –
For the writers in their day
Viewed their cosmos as three places
In some convoluted way.

So, for them there was the heavens
Where the Father-God hangs out;
And the world which man has messed up
(Fixing that’s what Christ’s about).

Father-God made Jesus ruler
Of a middle place some way,
As a staging-ground for working
Where we join Him in our day.

Middle-ground was called “God’s Kingdom”
God sent Son to work that turf;
Jesus says, “Come here for respite,
Take My yoke and join My work –

“You will find this place is easy,
There’s no blockages up here;
Lets you grow and share My loving
On an acetate that’s clear.

So when light shines through the package
All the layers share their parts –
All the freedom, choice, and loving,
Messy world, and transformed hearts.

First three Gospels give the nature
Of the life on Kingdom-layer;
Fourth shares nature of relations
With the King (our part as players).

Now we’re freed from smashing cultures
Of our neighbors or ourselves;
When we’re up on Kingdom-layer
Different facets viewpoint tells –

Of the gospel-text we read from,
From the rainbow of our views;
Shared, the insights, each enrich us,
Stimulate fresh gospel news.

One hand dirty ’neath a faucet
Is quite difficult to clean;
Two hands dirty clean each other –
That to me’s what viewpoints mean.

Lord, I thank You for this Kingdom –
Place for us to rest and grow;
For the others up here with us
Helping us Your love to know.

Be with us as we move onward
Touching lives in Kingdom, world;
Help us rest within Your heaven
Not swept up in daily whirl.

Thanks Lord for this.

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