2 Poems

Prayer for Liberation
Pentecost 16; Exodus 14:19-31, Psalm 114
O God who leads
	slaves to freedom
and sweeps away
	pursuing forces
liberate those
	forced to labour
to their detriment
	for the profit of others
and those held down
	by discrimination.
Clog the wheels
	of abusive power
	and greedy money.

Liberating God
lead to freedom those
enslaved by addiction
	pulled down by abuse
exploited by scams.
Sweep away those
	who entrap others
through drugs and alcohol
	bullying and sexual harassment
	and social media snares.

Transforming God,
	turn the rock
of selfish hearts
	into pools of water
	where all may drink.
Change the flintstones
	of weaponized minds
into welling springs
	that nurture growth
	of diverse lives.

Barbara Messner 13/09/2023

Outback In Front
There comes a time when bare earth bakes,
and cracks appear in playing fields.
Then dusty winds compete with smog,
and outback stirs in our backyards.
No wilderness stays safely fenced:
how weak our claim on settled space!

The gardens that town water grows
are browning now with rationing;
the weeds and native plants stay green
while dead grass crackles underfoot.
The roads and concrete glare with heat
like desert sands without their soul.

Where prophets sought the wilderness,
and Spirit-driven, heard their call,
we now might drive on holidays,
between motels and tourist trails,
our bottled water in our hands,
and big Mac packets blowing by.

The silence and the loneliness
that once might stir prophetic word
are absent in our techno blah.
No Baptist shouts from river banks:
“Repent! This plunge will change your life!”
No Spirit cracks the heavens wide.

Or do we fail to hear or see
the lived or spoken word of God,
ignore the wisdom of the land,
too outback for our town-bred minds,
and scorn first peoples of the earth,
whose country we have turned to waste.

O God, awaken something wild
that stirs to hear the ancient songs,
discards white privilege and pride,
and humbled, turns to those who know.
Let outback and its peoples speak
to save the earth and guide the lost.

Barbara Messner September 2017
(for Wilderness/Outback Sunday, Season of Creation)