Sunday, January 18, 2009

Letter to AG

Writing from the other side of God, I
need to tell you something about love.
Not that I'm expert, believe me, but
I've learned some things, I'm no prophet or
preacher but I've studied the Bible, I've done
my share of prayer, I've given witness, offered
my soul to Jesus, read Holy Scripture, 
delivered sermons, served as an acolyte 
and watched God's breath whisper across altar candles, 
passed out communion wine in tiny 
plastic chalices, dropped the body of Christ 
onto the waiting tongues of those seeking 
redemption, I've eulogized the dead, hugged 
those who were losing God, witnessed the 
holy spirit blossom from the lips of 
my mother when the insistent urge to live 
vanquished.  

                       God is not a judge.  She is a not 
a malevolent, vindictive god any more 
than she is one of those dumb nodding 
velveteen dogs you see in the back car window,
bobbing at every passing car.  She's not 
into guilt trips or sin or any of that stained 
by the Mark of Cain crap.  She doesn't believe 
in Original Sin or the birthright of evil.  
She believes in redemption because she
knows it's hard enough to find salvation
in this world.  She believes in sex and the
divine laws of the physical universe, 
the wondrous tantalizing senses, beauty, 
she wants you to enjoy yourself in this world.  
That's why she made  potato chips and 
Sugar Babies, the summer solstice and 
fireflies, mangoes and avocados, fingers 
and elbows and lips.  God is a precious 
song, a prayer, a sacred poem filled with the
 pagan stuff of life.  God does not care about 
the little things, all the wicked mind machines
we carry in our heads.  She does not want us 
to wrench ourselves into knots over 
indiscretions or the pleasures of the flesh,
over wine, over desire, over the 
contradictions of petty moralities.  
She wants you to love yourself, to accept 
yourself, to breathe and eat and love, 
to dance and make music, as we entered
the world, naked and unashamed and
holy.

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