Greetje: New page: {{info}}The synagogue of Freedmen in
Jerusalem, for years had been
A place of passion for the law
Of Moses. There they held in awe
The Temple and the holy priests,
The sacri...

Greetje — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 20:13:29 GMT

New page: {{info}}The synagogue of Freedmen in Jerusalem, for years had been A place of passion for the law Of Moses. There they held in awe The Temple and the holy priests, The sacri...

New page

{{info}}The synagogue of Freedmen in Jerusalem, for years had been A place of passion for the law Of Moses. There they held in awe The Temple and the holy priests, The sacrifices, and the feasts. For these were men who'd known The flog and fetter, and the groan Of separation from the land Of promise. They had known the hand Of persecution, and the pain Of loving what they could not gain. But now these former slaves were free, And formed a synagogue to be A place of passion for the creed Of Israel, a burning breed Of zealots for the altar, where The priests of God bow down and bear The sins of Israel before The face of God Most High. They swore That they would die (if it must be), To save the sacred ministry Of law, and priest, and sacrifice. 

What's more, each year, they paid the price To bring some Jewish exiles home From places far away as Rome, Cilicia, Cyrene and The coast of Egypt, all the land Of Asia and beyond. It was A way of saying, "What God does, We too will do. He made our dream Come true; and now we would redeem Diaspora, and, if but for A trice, unbar the sev'ring door That keeps our kindred locked outside The Promised Land and all the pride Of Temple, sacrifice and priest." And so each year, up to the feast Of Pentecost, the Freedmen brought A band of exiles back, and sought To give them in the Feast of Weeks A taste of Paradise. And so It came to pass, as one might know, Within the providence and grace Of God, Rufina found her place Among the pilgrim band, and came Up to Jerusalem to claim That year a foretaste of her share And legacy. She thought, "O there To die would feast!" For her, it meant A great return on what she'd spent In prayer for twenty years. And deep Inside, she felt, "Here I would sleep With Hannah, Deborah and Ruth, And make my aging flesh, in truth, To mingle with the sacred dust Of Israel. And I do trust, Like them, to see, before I die, The goal of prayer and God's reply." Rufina felt expectant when She came from Caesarea ten Days early for the feast. At last, Jerusalem! A city vast With memory and hope. It seemed To her half-heaven. Hundreds streamed In every street, and thousands to The Temple court. A dream come true, Rufina thought. And as she heard The tales of recent days, one word, Above all others, seized her mind And heart: "Messiah." She would find That people scoffed and ridiculed The stories of his death, but fueled In her a hunger for the facts. The more she heard about his acts And words, the more she was assured That everything the man endured Was what Isaiah prophesied. And there, a hope that almost died, Flamed into life again. And she Stood in the Temple court to see If, in the people of the Way, There might be one, or dare she pray, There might be three, dark men.

On Pentecost she stood again To see, but this time no one came, Instead there was a shout and claim That nearby at a house, men spoke A dozen languages, and broke The laws of nature with their lips. For her, it was a great eclipse Of every human sphere, and with Three thousand others, so-called myth Gave way to truth and prophecy.

That afternoon a company Of Parthians and Medes, a host Of Elamites, and from the coast Of Egypt, Crete and Libya, The provinces of Phrygia, Pamphylia and far away Like Rome, Cyrene and Puray, A company of color, speech, And joy, as far as eye could reach Marched like the happy captives of The gospel and the God of love, Down to the River Jordan, there To be baptized. Rufina's hair Was silver now, and there were signs Of weakening and age. The lines Were deep in her dark face, and she Was bent with years of drudgery, And widow's work. The five hour hike Down from Jerusalem was like A hundred miles for her. And near The river she collapsed. For fear Of being left behind, she tried To lift herself alone beside The road, but couldn't. Women came And knelt to see if she were lame Or thirsty in the heat. "I'll be All right," she said, "don't fret for me. The promise of the Lord is true, ‘To old age I will carry you.' I'll be all right, go on." Behind The huddle one strong man inclined His ear, and trembled at the sound Of this old woman's voice. The ground In front of her was slowly cleared, So that the woman's face appeared. The man stared silently, then spread His arms out tenderly and said, "It would be grace to me if I Might carry you." Without reply Or fear, she felt his arms around Her back and knees. The sound He made along the way was like The breathing of a child. The strike Of every footfall like the gait And pace of her belovéd mate From five and twenty years ago. The bearded face was dark and so Intense she felt that it might break. And suddenly she saw. Her quake Shot through him like a spear, and tears That he had stored for twenty years Began to run down on his face. And half-believing heaven's grace She whispered, "Simon?" It was true. He buried his black face into Her silver hair, and stood a long Time by the Jordan road. A song Of joy rose from the River where The saints were leaving deep despair Beneath the water and the blood. And late that day beneath the flood, Rufina and her eldest son Were buried and arose as one.

That night in camps along the banks Of Jordan, thousands lifted thanks To Christ, and made the very stars To dance with joy. A thousand scars Were healed, and memories became The kindling for a holy flame Of pardon, in the Savior's name: The gladness of forgiven shame.

And there, beneath the great dark sky, Yet spangled with the starry cry Of glory, glory in the darkest night! Rufina asked if Simon might Perchance know anything about His brothers. "O what brutal doubt I have endured," she said, "through all These years, yet have not ceased to call, Both day and night, on God, that all My sons would meet Messiah, and in thrall, Fall down, and worship at his feet." "The youngest, Malchus, you will meet On his return from Hazaroth In Sinai. Malchus took an oath, When Jesus healed his ear and heart, That he would make a break, and start His life brand new. He said, ‘If I Come back, know this: I will defy The house of Caiaphas, my lord, And take my stand against the sword And synagogue of Freedmen.' I Believe that Malchus will stand by His ev'ry word. I pray that you Will see your youngest son made new And filled with zeal for Christ."

The weeks Went by, and all at once the leaks Inside the dam of silence at The synagogue, burst like a vat Of burning oil before the fire. And Stephen lifted up his voice, And, filled with God, cried out, "Rejoice Not in these tiny temple stones Cut out with human hands. God owns The universe, and does not dwell In any house, as if a cell Could capture light, and hold the sun A hostage for the night. The One Who made the sky and all the lands Cannot be served by human hands. But he has sent his Son, and by His death, the Temple too will die."

And then, enflamed with sacred hate, They carried Stephen to the gate, And stoned him there to death. The crowd Was tense. A martyr's blood is loud, And seldom is his message stilled Because his fearless blood is spilled. Rufina and her eldest son Stood back to see what would be done Before the soldiers came. And then, As if the dead were raised again, A voice cut through the icy fears: "Uncircumcised in heart and ears! How long will you resist the word And Spirit of your God? Come, gird Yourself with half of Stephen's pow'r And answer me. This is your hour." The man was less than twenty feet Away from Simon in the street, And hadn't seen his brother yet. Rufina froze. "Did you beget Such courage, woman, or did God? This is your little boy, the rod Of Malchus lifted, as he said Against the Freedmen and the red And bloody rocks at Stephen's head. I think that he will soon be dead. What do you say? Shall we go out And die with him? I do not doubt That there will be more blood today."

"The Christ has come. And you did slay Him for your law. And what of all The saints and prophets? Did they fall By foreign swords, or by your own?" The fiery face of Malchus shone With light, and made the Freedmen gnash Their teeth and take up stones to gash His head. But suddenly they stopped, Because an old black woman, propped Up by the arm of Simon, stood By Malchus' side and said, "I would Be glad to stand beside a man Who loves the living Christ more than His life, and doubly glad if he's My son. Fear not, Christ has the keys, Of life and death, my sons. None goes Or comes at his own time. God chose. And Jesus will dispose." She pressed Her hand against his ear, and blessed Her youngest son. And suddenly, The Freedmen rushed against the three, And crowds against the Freedmen. All Was chaos and a massive brawl When Roman soldiers tried to pierce The mob. And one, especially fierce, Fought off the Freedmen from the old Black woman and her sons, and told His men to carry them behind The trees. And then he came to find Them, when the clamor was subdued. The dark-skinned soldier knelt and viewed The corpse of Malchus on the ground. He turned to see if any sound Came from the woman's mouth. She was Alive, but not for long. "What does This mean," the black centurion Inquired? "What has this woman done?" And Simon, kneeling, said, "I think She prayed." "What do you mean?" "The link Among us four here on this spot, Was forged in heaven, and is not The work of any man. She prayed For us." The soldier turned and laid His cape across her breast. Her eyes Were barely open, but the prize That she beheld brought strength into Her voice. "A soldier! Lucius, you Became a soldier, like your dreams, When you were just a boy. It seems Like yesterday. Where's Simon?" "Here I am." "And Malchus? Is his ear Grown deaf?" "I think he hears the word Of Jesus better than he heard It while he lived," was Simon's mild Reply. "My precious little child. The key unlocked for him before It did for me." The soldier bore These words like hammer blows. "To find, And finding lose, seems hard, unkind," He said. And she replied, "Hard, yes. But not unkind. God means to bless. So listen while I tell you both The happy prophecy and oath God gave me for your lives: First know, there will, in time, be wives. Fret not for that. Then, take to heart That this distress is but the start Of persecution. Simon, Christ Commands that all be sacrificed, And every field you own be left Behind this very day. Bereft Of these you will be free indeed. And, Lucius, Christ would have you lead A different kind of company, And calls you now to make you free From ev'ry high command but one. And in the service of God's Son Today, the two of you are sent To Antioch. And there, consent To learn and grow, and you will be Endowed with truth and prophecy, And you will teach the church. And when The time is full, and holy men Are fasting in the presence of The Lord, a mighty work of love, A mission, will be born: first Paul And Barnabas will go, then all Of you. And Simon, Lucius, keep In mind, that God intends to reap From every people his redeemed. And there is nothing God has deemed More precious on the earth than zeal For God, and that the nations feel The beauty of a grace that's free, And joy in his supremacy. Now bury me beside my son, And sing until your work is done."

The light of candle four is plain: Not even twenty years of pain Is pointless, when you see the end. At night, God is not less a friend Than in the day. And prayers that rise Ten thousand times before the prize, Are not because the Lord is slow, But has a better path to show, And in the darkness labors on Preparing everything for dawn.

The Cyrenian Cycle: Rufina - Revision history

Greetje: New page: {{info}}The synagogue of Freedmen inJerusalem, for years had beenA place of passion for the lawOf Moses. There they held in aweThe Temple and the holy priests,The sacri...

Greetje: New page: {{info}}The synagogue of Freedmen in
Jerusalem, for years had been
A place of passion for the law
Of Moses. There they held in awe
The Temple and the holy priests,
The sacri...