Poem:

O King of our desire whom we despise,

King of the nations never on the throne,

Unfound foundation, cast-off cornerstone,

Rejected joiner, making many one,

You have no form or beauty for our eyes,

A King who comes to give away his crown,

A King within our rags of flesh and bone.

We pierce the flesh that pierces our disguise,

For we ourselves are found in you alone.

Come to us now and find in us your throne,

O King within the child within the clay,

O hidden King who shapes us in the play

Of all creation. Shape us for the day

Your coming Kingdom comes into its own.

~ Malcolm Guite

Scripture:
Moses and Aaron and his sons were to camp to the east of the tabernacle, toward the sunrise, in front of the tent of meeting. They were responsible for the care of the sanctuary on behalf of the Israelites. – Numbers 3:38

Poem:

Struggling to fall asleep,

I wrestle with tomorrow.

How will the people respond?

Will everyone cooperate?

Bone-weary from the enormous task

That will greet me in the morning,

I must surrender

To the need for rest.

The rays of the morning

Slip under the flaps of the tent

To touch my eyelids

And welcome me to the new day.

The gentle sway of the curtain

Brings in dew-kissed morning air,

But my mind already wrestles

With the burden I must carry.

My muscles protest

As I rise to respond.

I step through the opening

Into the divine greeting

Of the Creator’s goodness.

I stand in awe of it all–

As our God feeds us

With his faithfulness.

My feet feel the earth

As my face soaks in

The gift of sunlight.

The pressure of

Today’s responsibility

Sets up camp against me

Announcing its threat to my peace.

My God is with me.

I will breathe the next breath.

I will take one step forward.

~ Esther Huhn, Today’s Responsibility