Believing

When Jesus entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, "By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?" Jesus said to them, "I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?" And they argued with one another, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?' But if we say, 'Of human origin,' we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet." So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." And he said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

"What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work in the vineyard today.' He answered, 'I will not'; but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, 'I go, sir'; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him." Matthew 21:23-32 

Believing

The moon small and mighty

a silver fingernail in the sky

the stars abound above me

and we know the way home.

For such a time we did not believe

that we would make it back

but the sacred song of the dark ocean

promised our return.

In night prayers we would wonder

aloud at God's capacity for us

looking up tonight we see the breadth

and endless depth of God's constant love.

We have stepped out into the unknown

wandered in strange primeval forests

hiked up to snowy mountain tops

to gain a vision of the Divine.

All the time and every day

right here with us is our humble place

in the old and weathered shelters of life

you came and made a home.