No Stone

Sabbath is, first and foremost,

the creation of time, space,

and reflection for the purpose

of removing ourselves from

and repenting of all the thoughts,

words, actions, and systems

that have supplanted

our awestruck posture in the presence

of the great mystery of God.

Wilderness is the ideal setting

for such practices, with its

utter absence of comforts and controls.

Sanctuary will suffice,

if the desert is unreachable.

No stone is exempt

from examination and turning.

No institution gets a bye.

Political, social, cultural,

economic, familial, and even

religious systems must be

held up to the candle of Love

to see if their thread is both

sufficiently strong and flexible.

Systems that make it back

from this weekly sojourn,

tempered and reshaped

by faith’s heat and hammer,

are allowed to direct us

for another week.

 

Photo by Lee Lindsey McKinney

© 2014 Todd Jenkins