Friday, November 21, 2008

Christ the King


So this weekend is Christ the King Sunday, time to contemplate, among other things, what Christ the King looks like. Our youth went to an event a couple of weeks ago called "Celebration of Confirmation" where they sang, worshiped, saw skits and heard about the issue of youth homelessness. Julia Dinsmore, a local poet and activist, was also there. I hear in my mind some of the words of her poem, "My Name is Not 'Those People'":

...My name is not "ignorant, Dumb or Uneducated." I
lived with an income of $621 with $169 in food
stamps. Rent is $585, that leaves $38 a month to
live on. I am such a genius at surviving that I could
balance the state budget in an hour.

....
The wind will stop before I let my children become
a statistic. Before you give in to the urge to blame
me, the blame that lets us go blind and unknowing
into the isolation that disconnects us, take another
look. Don't go away.
For I am not the problem, but the solution.
And... my name is not "Those People."

Lord, when have we see you?

picture by Kristie Bretzke, local artist

10 comments:

Gannet Girl said...

Wonderful post. I am looking for real Advent this year.

Jennifer said...

Another great post on seeing.
Thank you so much!

Anonymous said...

Wonderful insight. Thanks for the post!

Jan said...

Thanks. The picture really hit me, and then came your words!

steve said...

Thanks for this, Diane. Powerful words. Oh, and FYI, I have awarded you the "superior scribbler" blog award. You can check out the details on my blog if you're interested.

Fran said...

This is brilliant Diane. I love the way the Scriptures and your experience all work together.

Thank you!

Lauralew said...

Marvelous post, Diane. The photo is amazing and the words are spot on.
If we take our baptismal vows seriously, no one ever can be just "one of those people."

June Butler said...

Lord, when did we see you?

That is the question. Not "To be, or not to be".

I don't know how the rest of you felt this morning, but when I heard the Gospel and the reading from Ezekiel, I felt as though I had been indicted.

Lord, have mercy.

Yolanda said...

I have thought on this topic before and I wonder if I have not passed him by in the form of a homeless person sometime in my life.Thanks for this thought provoking post.

much2ponder said...

Thank you for this thoughtful post and the picture says so much.