Stepping slowly out of my pew
I kneel to honor His presence and
wonder
As I move quietly out of His house
into the world
Stopping to dip my hand in this holy
reminder
This holy water found now in the
desert of my life
I remind myself of the baptismal
promise
Made for me so long ago, as I died to
sin
And was reborn to a new life
In the Body of Christ
Saying my farewells, I part the doors
And the glare of the sun stuns and
stops me
Causing my eyes to squint and blink in
blindness
Clearing them, looking down at the
barren pavement
I follow the hard dry pavement leading
away
How easily this earthly transport
carries me away
Enabling me to leave behind much and
to take with
More words and things and thoughts received
From His eternal fountain of grace
here found
And so I re-enter the river of life
But must re-discover daily the quiet,
the path,
To a place deserted, a desert place
Where I am alone with Him
To talk, to listen, to learn, to find
peace
To join with Him and find my soul’s
peace
Yet for only a short while, I grieve...
For too soon returns the cacophony of
life
Pulling me back and away from peace
Leading me away from this found desert
peace
Away from holy closeness and quietude
Yet from this found desert place left
too soon,
I bring away my faith renewed
To nurture and strengthen me for the
journey
Now part of me, sustenance for my
dryness
Brought close by the barren-ness of all other
Pulled away from all distraction
I am called to move out of the dryness
of solitude
Into the fluidity of life
Bringing this gift of boundless
renewing grace
Born from the desert place where I
have found
Myself surrendered, my faith refreshed
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