Thursday, April 2, 2009

Some Lines On Grace And Salvation

Wendell Berry's book, Given, is a quiet celebration of grace. Hence, the title. Here are a few lines:

"There is a place you can go
where you are quiet
a place of water and the light

on the water. Trees are there,
leaves, and the light
on leaves moved by air. . . .

This is the time you'd like to stay.
Not a leaf stirs. There is no sound.
the fireflies lift light from the ground.
You've shed the vanities of when
and how and why for now. . . ."

Georgia poet, Judson Mitcham, in his book A Little Salvation, writes:

". . . some days,
the simplest things matter,
and you are fascinated by water, there at the faucet,

watching it flash and break, amazed at being alive,
washing your face."

The comment on my post about grace quoted Rowan Williams as saying salvation has to do with the experience of being, feeling, and knowing that you are seen another way, knowing you are wanted. It is essential to be seen, and also to see. Wendell Berry and Judson Mitcham see grace and salvation in "the simplest things."

Jesus said, "What do you want me to do for you?" "Master," the blind man answered, "I want to see again."

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