.

May all who love you

be like the sun

when it rises in its strength

.

Under the Palm of Deborah

She held court

.

Transfigured before them

.

From the heavens

the stars fought

.

The river swept them away

.

.

There he was transfigured before them.

His face

shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white

as the light.

The light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed

in the face of Christ.

And we all, who with unveiled faces reflect the Lord’s glory,

are being transformed into his image with ever increasing glory,

which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin

looked intently at Stephen,

and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

Look, he said, I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing

at the right hand of God.

For my eyes have seen your salvation,

which you have prepared in the sight of all nations,

a light for revelation to the Gentiles,

and the glory of your people Israel.

.

[Acts 26:23; Matt 17:2; 2 Cor 4:6; 2 Cor 3:18;

Acts 6:15; Acts 7:56; Luke 2:30-32, NIV]

.

Night

No light above

.

Night of clouds

No stars

.

Light

Hidden

Shining

.

.

The sun shines

Warming us

Inside 

.

Gold

Innocent

Pure

.

Outside

Fiery 

Bright

.

.

angels

before

and

after

above

us

present

blooming

seed

trees

is

and

was

and

to

be

.

.

Few words

Voice clear

Night starlit

.

Light

Born again

.

Budded

Blossomed

Israel

.

Here

Red Sea

Still

.

Here 

What is not

But is

.

.

During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said,

“Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites!”

The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Sukkoth. 

There were about six hundred thousand men on foot,

besides women and children.

On this night, all the Israelites are to keep vigil to honour the Lord 

for the generations to come.

After leaving Sukkoth they camped at Etham on the edge of the desert. 

By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud 

to guide them on their way,

and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light

so that they could travel by day or night.

Neither the pillar of cloud by day

nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.

.

This night is for the Lord, to be remembered by all the people of Israel for all time.

.

Remembering Afghan refugees, forced out of Islamabad, and some out of Pakistan.

.

An exodus

Family after family

A cloud by day

A pillar of fire at night

Not visible

Mistreated

Of greater value than earthy treasure

Looking ahead

For his reward

.

Afghan refugees, leaving Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

.

Evening – before the stars. Clouds

in any case. Last light, before –

Inside I type. My son, my wife. Vowed

to secrecy. And now – the unlit moon.

Darkness, light. A baby’s eyes – open.

Womb – a distant sea. Adoramus.

.

.

It’s beautiful – what is. Terminal –

shadows. Shining through: A Holy One.

Once, life was uninterruptible.

Withheld. The dawn and stars. Natal.

When I beheld. Invisible.

Woe is me. I am ruined.

My eyes – the King. A live coal.

My mouth. Seraphim.

Go tell these people.

Ever hearing. Never understanding.

Ever seeing. Never perceiving.

Cities ruined. Houses deserted.

A terebinth. An oak.

A holy seed. Awoken.

.