Nicodemus, Part 1 - Revision history

Greetje: Nicodemus Part 1 moved to Nicodemus, Part 1

2008-10-09T17:06:17Z

Nicodemus Part 1 moved to Nicodemus, Part 1

← Older revision

Revision as of 17:06, 9 October 2008

Greetje at 01:47, 1 October 2008

2008-10-01T01:47:05Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:47, 1 October 2008
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-	{{info}}~~Nicodemus, Part 1~~	+	{{info}}<br>
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	The wine was flowing freely at <br>The finest wedding banquet that<br>The folks had seen in Cana since <br>The only daughter of the prince<br>Of Galilee had woven what <br>The locals called “the perfect knot.”<br>This time the ranking Pharisee<br>Had spread a table that would be<br>More lavish than the finest feast<br>And wine that any prince or priest<br>Had ever spread in Galilee.<br>His youngest son today would be<br>The last to marry. Then the old<br>Man and his wife, they thought, could fold<br>Their wrinkled hands across their laps,<br>And spend their final days, perhaps,<br>Beside the sea of Galilee,<br>Surrounded by the treasures he<br>Had gathered over forty years<br>Of skill and work. No financiers<br>In all of Israel had been<br>As shrewd as he, nor labored in<br>The night, nor made a sweeter spice <br>From balsam wood, nor made a slice<br>Of cedar serve as perfume for<br>The queen, nor healed a fest’ring sore<br>With aloe plants, nor made such myrrh<br>And anise that the princes were<br>His patrons, and would come from far<br>Away—from lands where such things are <br>Not found—to buy the spices which<br>Had made old Nicodemus rich. <br>If someone said, “You make us pay<br>Too much for these,” He’d smile and say,		The wine was flowing freely at <br>The finest wedding banquet that<br>The folks had seen in Cana since <br>The only daughter of the prince<br>Of Galilee had woven what <br>The locals called “the perfect knot.”<br>This time the ranking Pharisee<br>Had spread a table that would be<br>More lavish than the finest feast<br>And wine that any prince or priest<br>Had ever spread in Galilee.<br>His youngest son today would be<br>The last to marry. Then the old<br>Man and his wife, they thought, could fold<br>Their wrinkled hands across their laps,<br>And spend their final days, perhaps,<br>Beside the sea of Galilee,<br>Surrounded by the treasures he<br>Had gathered over forty years<br>Of skill and work. No financiers<br>In all of Israel had been<br>As shrewd as he, nor labored in<br>The night, nor made a sweeter spice <br>From balsam wood, nor made a slice<br>Of cedar serve as perfume for<br>The queen, nor healed a fest’ring sore<br>With aloe plants, nor made such myrrh<br>And anise that the princes were<br>His patrons, and would come from far<br>Away—from lands where such things are <br>Not found—to buy the spices which<br>Had made old Nicodemus rich. <br>If someone said, “You make us pay<br>Too much for these,” He’d smile and say,

Greetje at 03:35, 25 September 2008

2008-09-25T03:35:31Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:35, 25 September 2008
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-	{{info}}Nicodemus, Part 1	+	{{info}}Nicodemus, Part 1
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	The wine was flowing freely at <br>The finest wedding banquet that<br>The folks had seen in Cana since <br>The only daughter of the prince<br>Of Galilee had woven what <br>The locals called “the perfect knot.”<br>This time the ranking Pharisee<br>Had spread a table that would be<br>More lavish than the finest feast<br>And wine that any prince or priest<br>Had ever spread in Galilee.<br>His youngest son today would be<br>The last to marry. Then the old<br>Man and his wife, they thought, could fold<br>Their wrinkled hands across their laps,<br>And spend their final days, perhaps,<br>Beside the sea of Galilee,<br>Surrounded by the treasures he<br>Had gathered over forty years<br>Of skill and work. No financiers<br>In all of Israel had been<br>As shrewd as he, nor labored in<br>The night, nor made a sweeter spice <br>From balsam wood, nor made a slice<br>Of cedar serve as perfume for<br>The queen, nor healed a fest’ring sore<br>With aloe plants, nor made such myrrh<br>And anise that the princes were<br>His patrons, and would come from far<br>Away—from lands where such things are <br>Not found—to buy the spices which<br>Had made old Nicodemus rich. <br>If someone said, “You make us pay<br>Too much for these,” He’d smile and say,		The wine was flowing freely at <br>The finest wedding banquet that<br>The folks had seen in Cana since <br>The only daughter of the prince<br>Of Galilee had woven what <br>The locals called “the perfect knot.”<br>This time the ranking Pharisee<br>Had spread a table that would be<br>More lavish than the finest feast<br>And wine that any prince or priest<br>Had ever spread in Galilee.<br>His youngest son today would be<br>The last to marry. Then the old<br>Man and his wife, they thought, could fold<br>Their wrinkled hands across their laps,<br>And spend their final days, perhaps,<br>Beside the sea of Galilee,<br>Surrounded by the treasures he<br>Had gathered over forty years<br>Of skill and work. No financiers<br>In all of Israel had been<br>As shrewd as he, nor labored in<br>The night, nor made a sweeter spice <br>From balsam wood, nor made a slice<br>Of cedar serve as perfume for<br>The queen, nor healed a fest’ring sore<br>With aloe plants, nor made such myrrh<br>And anise that the princes were<br>His patrons, and would come from far<br>Away—from lands where such things are <br>Not found—to buy the spices which<br>Had made old Nicodemus rich. <br>If someone said, “You make us pay<br>Too much for these,” He’d smile and say,
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	But Nicodemus didn’t heed<br>The servant’s word that day, to speak<br>With Jesus face to face. A week<br>Or more went by, and this time in<br>Jerusalem he saw him spin <br>A whip from ragged ropes, drive out<br>The sellers from the court, and shout,<br>“My Father’s House is not a place<br>Of trade. And let there be no trace<br>Of bag, or oxen dung, or scale,<br>Nor even finest spice for sale.”<br>And at that very moment he<br>Looked up across the court to see<br>The eyes of Nicodemus set<br>Like stone. And when their faces met,<br>It was as though a meeting now<br>Was set that long ago somehow<br>Had been appointed with an aim<br>That Nicodemus could not name<br>Or even less escape. He turned<br>Away, and wondered why he burned<br>Inside not with the rage he knew<br>So well, but something far more true,<br>More real, than anything he’d known.<br>Tonight, he thought, he’ll be alone.		But Nicodemus didn’t heed<br>The servant’s word that day, to speak<br>With Jesus face to face. A week<br>Or more went by, and this time in<br>Jerusalem he saw him spin <br>A whip from ragged ropes, drive out<br>The sellers from the court, and shout,<br>“My Father’s House is not a place<br>Of trade. And let there be no trace<br>Of bag, or oxen dung, or scale,<br>Nor even finest spice for sale.”<br>And at that very moment he<br>Looked up across the court to see<br>The eyes of Nicodemus set<br>Like stone. And when their faces met,<br>It was as though a meeting now<br>Was set that long ago somehow<br>Had been appointed with an aim<br>That Nicodemus could not name<br>Or even less escape. He turned<br>Away, and wondered why he burned<br>Inside not with the rage he knew<br>So well, but something far more true,<br>More real, than anything he’d known.<br>Tonight, he thought, he’ll be alone.

-	So Nicodemus in the dark<br>Of night, when none would see or mark<br>His coming, found the teacher who<br>Had made his water-well into<br>A winery, and made his spice<br>Bazaar look like a sordid vice,<br>All broken down and scattered on <br>The Temple floor. “Rabbi, upon<br>My word, I do affirm you are<br>A teacher come from God. And far<br>Be it from me to doubt that you<br>Could do these signs unless it’s true<br>That God is with you.” But before<br>The old man could go on with more,<br>The Lord said, “Truly, truly I<br>Now say to you, my friend, you pry<br>The meaning of my signs in vain,<br>Nor will you ever see or gain<br>The saving reign of God unless<br>You have been born again. Confess<br>Your need of this, great ruler of <br>The Jews.” The old man said, “A dove<br>Cannot crawl back into its egg;<br>Much less could I, a man, go beg<br>My mother that I enter now<br>Again into her womb somehow<br>And thus be born again.” “I tell<br>You, Nicodemus, you should dwell<br>More deeply on the fact that I<br>Used purifying jars—ask why!—<br>To fill with my own blood-red wine,<br>And mark the covenant design<br>Of union twixt a man and wife. <br>Have you no eyes, no heart, no life<br>To see that all of this was sign?<br>It did not have to do with wine.<br>And when I turned the tables in<br>The Temple upside down, the sin<br>Is only worse when you don’t see<br>It’s not about the sheep, but me.<br>O Nicodemus, until you <br>Are born again, and have a new<br>And Spirit-given life, you will<br>Be like the living dead, blind still.<br>Just like the foolish child who sees<br>His mother point toward mighty trees,<br>And will not look toward where they stand,<br>But only sees his mother’s hand.<br>Are you a sage with Israel’s keys,<br>And do not know these ABCs?”	+	So Nicodemus in the dark<br>Of night, when none would see or mark<br>His coming, found the teacher who<br>Had made his water-well into<br>A winery, and made his spice<br>Bazaar look like a sordid vice,<br>All broken down and scattered on <br>The Temple floor. “Rabbi, upon<br>My word, I do affirm you are<br>A teacher come from God. And far<br>Be it from me to doubt that you<br>Could do these signs unless it’s true<br>That God is with you.” But before<br>The old man could go on with more,<br>The Lord said, “Truly, truly I<br>Now say to you, my friend, you pry<br>The meaning of my signs in vain,<br>Nor will you ever see or gain<br>The saving reign of God unless<br>You have been born again. Confess<br>Your need of this, great ruler of <br>The Jews.” The old man said, “A dove<br>Cannot crawl back into its egg;<br>Much less could I, a man, go beg<br>My mother that I enter now<br>Again into her womb somehow<br>And thus be born again.” “I tell<br>You, Nicodemus, you should dwell<br>More deeply on the fact that I<br>Used ''purifying ''jars—ask why!—<br>To fill with my own blood-red wine,<br>And mark the covenant design<br>Of union twixt a man and wife. <br>Have you no eyes, no heart, no life<br>To see that all of this was sign?<br>It did not have to do with wine.<br>And when I turned the tables in<br>The Temple upside down, the sin<br>Is only worse when you don’t see<br>It’s not about the sheep, but me.<br>O Nicodemus, until you <br>Are born again, and have a new<br>And Spirit-given life, you will<br>Be like the living dead, blind still.<br>Just like the foolish child who sees<br>His mother point toward mighty trees,<br>And will not look toward where they stand,<br>But only sees his mother’s hand.<br>Are you a sage with Israel’s keys,<br>And do not know these ABCs?”

	Lord, let the flame of candle one<br>Point like a finger to the Son.<br>And let the eyes of ev’ry heart,<br>With sacred life that you impart,<br>Be opened, lest your heaven-land<br>We miss while gazing at the hand.<br>Forbid that we would see the sign<br>And miss the thing that you design.<br>O that your beauty, sharp and clear,<br>Would penetrate our darkness here.<br>Make windows in the things of earth:<br>This is the joy of second birth.		Lord, let the flame of candle one<br>Point like a finger to the Son.<br>And let the eyes of ev’ry heart,<br>With sacred life that you impart,<br>Be opened, lest your heaven-land<br>We miss while gazing at the hand.<br>Forbid that we would see the sign<br>And miss the thing that you design.<br>O that your beauty, sharp and clear,<br>Would penetrate our darkness here.<br>Make windows in the things of earth:<br>This is the joy of second birth.

Greetje at 03:32, 25 September 2008

2008-09-25T03:32:45Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:32, 25 September 2008
Line 1:		Line 1:
-	{{info}}Nicodemus, Part 1~~<br>~~	+	{{info}}Nicodemus, Part 1
		+
		+

	The wine was flowing freely at <br>The finest wedding banquet that<br>The folks had seen in Cana since <br>The only daughter of the prince<br>Of Galilee had woven what <br>The locals called “the perfect knot.”<br>This time the ranking Pharisee<br>Had spread a table that would be<br>More lavish than the finest feast<br>And wine that any prince or priest<br>Had ever spread in Galilee.<br>His youngest son today would be<br>The last to marry. Then the old<br>Man and his wife, they thought, could fold<br>Their wrinkled hands across their laps,<br>And spend their final days, perhaps,<br>Beside the sea of Galilee,<br>Surrounded by the treasures he<br>Had gathered over forty years<br>Of skill and work. No financiers<br>In all of Israel had been<br>As shrewd as he, nor labored in<br>The night, nor made a sweeter spice <br>From balsam wood, nor made a slice<br>Of cedar serve as perfume for<br>The queen, nor healed a fest’ring sore<br>With aloe plants, nor made such myrrh<br>And anise that the princes were<br>His patrons, and would come from far<br>Away—from lands where such things are <br>Not found—to buy the spices which<br>Had made old Nicodemus rich. <br>If someone said, “You make us pay<br>Too much for these,” He’d smile and say,		The wine was flowing freely at <br>The finest wedding banquet that<br>The folks had seen in Cana since <br>The only daughter of the prince<br>Of Galilee had woven what <br>The locals called “the perfect knot.”<br>This time the ranking Pharisee<br>Had spread a table that would be<br>More lavish than the finest feast<br>And wine that any prince or priest<br>Had ever spread in Galilee.<br>His youngest son today would be<br>The last to marry. Then the old<br>Man and his wife, they thought, could fold<br>Their wrinkled hands across their laps,<br>And spend their final days, perhaps,<br>Beside the sea of Galilee,<br>Surrounded by the treasures he<br>Had gathered over forty years<br>Of skill and work. No financiers<br>In all of Israel had been<br>As shrewd as he, nor labored in<br>The night, nor made a sweeter spice <br>From balsam wood, nor made a slice<br>Of cedar serve as perfume for<br>The queen, nor healed a fest’ring sore<br>With aloe plants, nor made such myrrh<br>And anise that the princes were<br>His patrons, and would come from far<br>Away—from lands where such things are <br>Not found—to buy the spices which<br>Had made old Nicodemus rich. <br>If someone said, “You make us pay<br>Too much for these,” He’d smile and say,
-	<blockquote>	+	<blockquote>“If you can find a better spice <br>Than mine in all of Israel,<br>I’ll fill a bag at highest price<br>And waste it on a criminal.” </blockquote>
-	“If you can find a better spice <br>Than mine in all of Israel,<br>I’ll fill a bag at highest price<br>And waste it on a criminal.”	+
-	</blockquote>	+
	No one had ever met his boast.<br>And so he was, it seemed, the most<br>Successful businessman to take<br>His place among the court, and make<br>Himself a name, not only for<br>His spice and wealth, but even more<br>Because he could recite the law<br>Of Moses fully without flaw.		No one had ever met his boast.<br>And so he was, it seemed, the most<br>Successful businessman to take<br>His place among the court, and make<br>Himself a name, not only for<br>His spice and wealth, but even more<br>Because he could recite the law<br>Of Moses fully without flaw.

Greetje: New page: {{info}}Nicodemus, Part 1
The wine was flowing freely at
The finest wedding banquet that
The folks had seen in Cana since
The only daughter of the prince
Of Galilee had ...

2008-09-25T03:32:08Z

New page: {{info}}Nicodemus, Part 1 The wine was flowing freely at The finest wedding banquet that The folks had seen in Cana since The only daughter of the prince Of Galilee had ...

New page

{{info}}Nicodemus, Part 1 

The wine was flowing freely at The finest wedding banquet that The folks had seen in Cana since The only daughter of the prince Of Galilee had woven what The locals called “the perfect knot.” This time the ranking Pharisee Had spread a table that would be More lavish than the finest feast And wine that any prince or priest Had ever spread in Galilee. His youngest son today would be The last to marry. Then the old Man and his wife, they thought, could fold Their wrinkled hands across their laps, And spend their final days, perhaps, Beside the sea of Galilee, Surrounded by the treasures he Had gathered over forty years Of skill and work. No financiers In all of Israel had been As shrewd as he, nor labored in The night, nor made a sweeter spice From balsam wood, nor made a slice Of cedar serve as perfume for The queen, nor healed a fest’ring sore With aloe plants, nor made such myrrh And anise that the princes were His patrons, and would come from far Away—from lands where such things are Not found—to buy the spices which Had made old Nicodemus rich. If someone said, “You make us pay Too much for these,” He’d smile and say,
<blockquote>
“If you can find a better spice Than mine in all of Israel, I’ll fill a bag at highest price And waste it on a criminal.”
</blockquote>
No one had ever met his boast. And so he was, it seemed, the most Successful businessman to take His place among the court, and make Himself a name, not only for His spice and wealth, but even more Because he could recite the law Of Moses fully without flaw.

He was a Pharisee, and all The details of this wedding, small Or great, would be done right. When he Was walking on the porch to see The guests who could not fit inside The house, he stopped abruptly, spied The empty wall, and trembled. Jars! Six massive urns, pure shining stars, Set in a constellation like A sign: Touch not! For God will strike The ones who take the vessels set To purify our lives, and let Them serve a common use. He took A servant by the arm, “Here, look! The holy urns! They’re gone! They’re gone! Where are they?” He replied, “They’re on The patio. They’re full of wine, Sir. Very good wine, sir.” “The line That separates the holy and The common is not drawn in sand, But etched in stone by God,” the tone Of Nicodemus’ voice, like stone,

Was hard and cold. “Who dared to take These sacred urns today and make Them into common things?” “The man There with his mother, Sir.” “And can A guest of mine command that jars For purity, like brilliant stars That make the dark of sin shine bright With holiness, should be so slight That you, my servants, would obey, And fill them with the bloody spray Of grapes beneath the feet of who Knows what Gentile to make this brew?” “Sir, please. We did not fill the urns With wine.” “They filled themselves? Truth burns The shirt of him who holds it in. Make haste. I smell the smoke of sin.” “We filled the jars with water, sir.” “So you are saying that I err When I assume someone bought wine And put it in the jars?” “No vine, No grapes, no feet to press the blood Of grapes, no desecrating mud From off the street. We simply took The water from the well, and look! The guests all think you saved the best For last. But sir, upon my breast I put my hand and swear: He turned The water into wine. I’ve earned Your trust for many years, my lord. One moment this was water poured From your own well, and crystal clear, Then it was wine. God has come near.” “Do you know this man’s name?” “His name Is Jesus, sir. He said he came Because someone invited him. Perhaps, before the day grows dim, You’d want to talk to him. I told Him who you were. He said, ‘The old Man with phylacteries? I know Him.’” “He said that he knows me? Though I’ve never met the man?” “Yes, sir, That’s what he said.” “Thank you, I’ll stir That in among my thoughts and weigh It with the rest. Strange wedding day.” “Yes sir, strange wedding day indeed.”

But Nicodemus didn’t heed The servant’s word that day, to speak With Jesus face to face. A week Or more went by, and this time in Jerusalem he saw him spin A whip from ragged ropes, drive out The sellers from the court, and shout, “My Father’s House is not a place Of trade. And let there be no trace Of bag, or oxen dung, or scale, Nor even finest spice for sale.” And at that very moment he Looked up across the court to see The eyes of Nicodemus set Like stone. And when their faces met, It was as though a meeting now Was set that long ago somehow Had been appointed with an aim That Nicodemus could not name Or even less escape. He turned Away, and wondered why he burned Inside not with the rage he knew So well, but something far more true, More real, than anything he’d known. Tonight, he thought, he’ll be alone.

So Nicodemus in the dark Of night, when none would see or mark His coming, found the teacher who Had made his water-well into A winery, and made his spice Bazaar look like a sordid vice, All broken down and scattered on The Temple floor. “Rabbi, upon My word, I do affirm you are A teacher come from God. And far Be it from me to doubt that you Could do these signs unless it’s true That God is with you.” But before The old man could go on with more, The Lord said, “Truly, truly I Now say to you, my friend, you pry The meaning of my signs in vain, Nor will you ever see or gain The saving reign of God unless You have been born again. Confess Your need of this, great ruler of The Jews.” The old man said, “A dove Cannot crawl back into its egg; Much less could I, a man, go beg My mother that I enter now Again into her womb somehow And thus be born again.” “I tell You, Nicodemus, you should dwell More deeply on the fact that I Used purifying jars—ask why!— To fill with my own blood-red wine, And mark the covenant design Of union twixt a man and wife. Have you no eyes, no heart, no life To see that all of this was sign? It did not have to do with wine. And when I turned the tables in The Temple upside down, the sin Is only worse when you don’t see It’s not about the sheep, but me. O Nicodemus, until you Are born again, and have a new And Spirit-given life, you will Be like the living dead, blind still. Just like the foolish child who sees His mother point toward mighty trees, And will not look toward where they stand, But only sees his mother’s hand. Are you a sage with Israel’s keys, And do not know these ABCs?”

Lord, let the flame of candle one Point like a finger to the Son. And let the eyes of ev’ry heart, With sacred life that you impart, Be opened, lest your heaven-land We miss while gazing at the hand. Forbid that we would see the sign And miss the thing that you design. O that your beauty, sharp and clear, Would penetrate our darkness here. Make windows in the things of earth: This is the joy of second birth.

Nicodemus, Part 1 - Revision history

Greetje: Nicodemus Part 1 moved to Nicodemus, Part 1

Greetje at 01:47, 1 October 2008

Greetje at 03:35, 25 September 2008

Greetje at 03:32, 25 September 2008

Greetje: New page: {{info}}Nicodemus, Part 1 The wine was flowing freely at The finest wedding banquet thatThe folks had seen in Cana since The only daughter of the princeOf Galilee had ...

Greetje: New page: {{info}}Nicodemus, Part 1
The wine was flowing freely at
The finest wedding banquet that
The folks had seen in Cana since
The only daughter of the prince
Of Galilee had ...