The poet Jesus speaks to us The poet asks how often Who is my neighbor, you ask To Mary in the morning garden After healings Re-present <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ruthann Knechel Johansen shared this poem as part of the afternoon Bible study at Annual Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio, on July 6, 2023.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n A poem by Ruthann Knechel Johansen shared as part of the Bible study on the afternoon of July 7 at Annual Conference 2023 in Cincinnati, Ohio. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":22183,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1703],"tags":[2508,2754,2753,1968,493],"wf_post_folders":[],"class_list":["post-22180","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-church-of-the-brethren-newsline","tag-annual-conference-2023","tag-jesus","tag-love","tag-poetry","tag-ruthann-knechel-johansen"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22180","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22180"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22180\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22185,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22180\/revisions\/22185"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22183"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22180"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22180"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22180"},{"taxonomy":"wf_post_folders","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wf_post_folders?post=22180"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
within his words and acts
across his life he points
to the Spirit realm of as<\/strong>
a hidden place of abiding
that changes everything
as<\/strong> lilies in our fields
as<\/strong> branches on a grapevine
as<\/strong> treasures lost and talents
buried out of sight
as rocky parched or fertile soil<\/p>\n\n\n\n
have I said as<\/strong> to you
a little joining word
dancing through creation
just as<\/strong> I have loved you
unless you become as<\/strong> little children
as<\/strong> much as you feed the hungry
famine-suffering border crossing
clothe the naked stripped
by storm or homelessness
visit fearful soldier-enemies
imprisoned by the murders
or war or hate
invite in the lonely
stranger and estranged
you feed clothe and visit me
love your neighbor as<\/strong> yourself<\/p>\n\n\n\n
you are your neighbors
from you they learn to know themselves
from them you recognize yourself
abide in me as<\/strong> I abide in you
I and you and
yes your enemies
belong to each other
all One in abiding<\/p>\n\n\n\n
don’t hang onto me
abide in me
I am not found in tombs of
death or judgment
doctrines or theological debates
the fields of right and wrong
meting out privileges
on my right or left<\/p>\n\n\n\n
the teacher-poet often says
do not tell anyone
lest you fix me as an idol
relinquish who you think I was
unknowing opens to humility
the soil of reception
I am Love enfleshed
as you are too
make room for the Christ
from the beginning
awakening the Spirit
indwelling in you
do not be afraid he says always
draw w-i-d-e circles
a covenant of Spirit
I can move in<\/p>\n\n\n\n
incarnate my Love
alive
abiding in you. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"Metal](\"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/07\/flower-art-439x1024.jpg\")
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"