Waiting among the colonnades

After John 5: 1-17 

Inside the walls,

inside the gate

that Nehemiah built,

the lame, the sick,

the injured gather,

waiting among

the colonnades,

waiting for

the stirring

of the waters,

believing that

the first one 

in the pool

is healed. 

The man too lame

to make his way

despairs; no one

is there to carry

him to the waters,

no one to help,

no one to pick him

up and help him or

even throw him

into the waters.

On a day like

any other, a day

of despair, a man

comes to him and

says get up, get up

and walk. He stands,

picks up his bedding,

and walks, watching

the living, stirring

water walk and

disappear among

the crowds.

 

Photograph by Nadim the Dream via Unsplash. Used with permission.

Some Sunday Readings

 

The Importance of Running a Rigged Race – Joshua Zackal at the Institute for Faith, Work, & Economics.

 

3 Patterns That False Teachers Follow – Matthew Harmon at Crossway.

 

A Sonnet for Trinity Sunday – Malcolm Guite.

 

The Fruit of the Spirit: Introduction – Robb Brunansky at The Cripplegate.