In studying the Gospel of Mark in college, I was struck by the recurrent use of the word “immediately” and turned to poetic reflection. Now, as both of my churches journey through Mark, I am again encountering the immediacy of the Incarnate Word. The Gospel of Mark presents Jesus in the fulness of mystery and familiarity, divinity and humanity. There is a numinous, unsettling quality to this book, as well as a deep earthiness.
As I reread Mark, I often have to pause. Such things are, as the Psalmist says, “too marvelous for me,” and again I turn to poetic contemplation. Poetry is no substitute for the understanding gained through expository study, but I do believe that it can aid us in experiencing the text afresh.
And so, I’d like to revise and share the poetry that I penned years and years ago in the hopes that it might help another reader to stand again in awe before the mystery of the Incarnate Word.
(Poetry to be posted daily.)
A Bookish Charm 