The Kingdom!

I grew up in Carrickfergus, Co. Antrim, N. Ireland. The Norman castle was the dominant feature of the town’s landscape. On many occasions major celebrations were marked by events in and around the castle. N. Ireland for sure is a place that keeps memories for all too long, and centuries of history was often replayed there in the surrounds of the castle, which has stood tall since 1177! Castles in general speak of kingdoms, power, and rule. Their large and wonderful walls mark a clear distinction between those within and those without! On this my 200th blog post it is no surprise that I turn to my favorite poet, R.S. Thomas. I have chosen two poems. The Kingdom and Alive. The first speaks of a very different kingdom than our worldly. The poem is an invitation to the Kingdom of God. Note all the reversals and the surprises in this poem. The second poem Alive, speaks of the love of God and of the beauty all around us. Thomas loved the night skies and relished the wonder of the stars and planets, do note that wonderful line – “the sleepless conurbations of the stars.” My next post will be in time for Advent and during the coming weeks I shall share poems which speak of God’s incarnation. May the season of Thanksgiving be a good one for you and a good preparation for the season of Advent. Enjoy.

The Kingdom
It’s a long way off but inside it
There are quite different things going on:
Festivals at which the poor man
Is king and the consumptive is
Healed; mirrors in which the blind look
At themselves and love looks at them
Back; and industry is for mending
The bent bones and the minds fractured
By life. It’s a long way off, but to get
There takes no time and admission
Is free, if you purge yourself
Of desire, and present yourself with
Your need only and the simple offering
Of your faith, green as a leaf.                 R.S. Thomas

Alive.
It is alive. It is you,
God. Looking out I can see
no death. The earth moves, the
sea moves, the wind goes
on its exuberant
journeys. Many creatures
reflect you, the flowers
your colour, the tides the precision
of your calculations. There
is nothing too ample
for you to overflow, nothing
so small that your workmanship
is not revealed. I listen
and it is you speaking.
I find the place where you lay
warm. At night, if I waken,
there are the sleepless conurbations
of the stars. The darkness
is the deepening shadow
of your presence; the silence a
process in the metabolism
of the being of love. R.S. Thomas

PRAYER:
Holy and loving God,
creator of all that is good,
hear now my prayer.
In our world of competing
and warring kingdoms, show
us a new way, lead
us in the direction of grace and peace.
Holy and loving God,
creator of all that is good,
hear our prayer.
In our neighborhoods and cities may
sharing and caring outpace our clutching
and possessing.
Amongst our families, may
forgiveness triumph over grudges, and love
embrace hearts and lives, making everyone new.
Holy and loving God,
creator of all that is good,
welcome us as partners in bringing
about your kingdom, here and now. Amen.