A poem? From Kelly? Really?

It's been a long, long time since I wrote a poem--probably18 years.  Two events happened this last week which prompted the poem below to come out of me. 

1) Several students got quizzical about my faith and got brave enough bring it up. One said, "You aren't like any of the annoying Christians in my family."  I thought I was supposed to take the comment as a compliment, but now I'm not sure.  ;-)  (Don't worry, I fully understand my limits on church and state.)

2) A colleague assumed a whole bunch of stuff about me when he heard I was in seminary.  It was a bit uncomfortable, I have to admit. 

Here's the poem.  I've got a great editor.




When you hear I am a Christian, what do you think of me?
I hope that one day, I can tell you I am a Christian, and you automatically….
don’t assume I am trying to convince you to believe what I believe.
don’t assume I think you’re going to hell if you don’t believe what I believe.
don’t assume I have a hierarchical marriage.
don’t assume I think homosexuality is sinful.
don’t assume I use the Bible as a weapon against humans or creation.
don’t assume I idolize the Bible and make it my object of worship.
don’t assume I am willing to destroy the earth just because God gave it to me.
don’t assume I live a nice tidy life, where issues are black and white, and my spirit is always right.
 
I dream of a day that, when I tell you I am a Christian, you automatically ….
know I advocate for peace.
know I stand for mercy.
know I serve one master, and it isn’t money or power or prestige.
know I stand up for those who are poor, captive, disabled, and oppressed, as my master did.
know I am completely enthralled with and insanely serious about the Bible.
know that God is the recipient of my worship.
know I live daily to be salt and light so God’s kingdom can be recognized here on earth.
know that, like you, I am trying to make sense of it all too.
 
Christian brothers and sisters,
what kind of images bubble up in people’s minds when we claim our name “Christian"?
 
I hold onto hope, I continue to dream,
if we act more like Jesus, the world might just recognize God in our midst.


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