Outrageous Mercy and Grace

It is easy to write poetry about scary stuff. The same way it is easy to preach about hell, and try to scare people into heaven. It is hard to understand and express the quality of mercy, the love, compassion God has for us. Not the wimpy love of Jesus the "nice guy", the one his disciples would never have recognized. Instead, a fierce love, like a mother bear for her cubs, or a father who has learned a boy has hurt his daughter. This is Jesus, who cares for us, who wants the best for us, and isn't afraid of pushing the envelope.

Jesus first miracle, is one his mom precipitates. He tells her, it's not time yet, yet he has compassion on an idiot who forgot to get enough wine. Not only that, but the stuff Jesus makes out of water turns out to be the good stuff. Ever hear a sermon on that? Real wine. Not grape juice. The hard stuff. Not just a gallon or so, but filling huge storage jars. I wonder what it would have been like to be there? Yet how many of us would have been as generous as Jesus. Would we have been so quick to provide the miracle? Are you sure you wouldn't have thought, why should this fool get a miracle. No one ever gave me so much blessing.

I will try to turn it into a poem.
One on outrageous mercy & grace.

Outrageous Mercy & Grace.
On turning water into wine.

When you turned
water into wine.
What were you doing?
Why waste your time
on an idiot who forgets
to order enough wine.
Why does he get
your compassion?
What did he do
to deserve such grace?

You don't make sense.
We can't understand.
Why change water
to wine?
Not only that, it's
better than he deserved.
We would have
taught him a lesson.
We'd make him
suffer for his sins.

Why do you cover
for this guys mistake?
Why do you let him
get off so easy?
Is it that we need
to learn to enjoy?
We need to learn
to celebrate?
Are we too much
like the elder brother?
Unable to rejoice with
brother returned from the grave.

Lord help us to appreciate
the grace you give.
As you pour out outrageous
amounts of blessing.
May we rejoice when
our brother gets more
than we know he deserves.
May we join your party
to drink from your wine
of new birth.
(John 2:1-11)
© September 27, 2005, Presbypoet
inspired by "anybudee"