Each Face as Lovely || 2011.01.24

God, turn up your anointing,
your presence.

Forge in us the justice of your love
and your love's judgment.

Rain from our deepest heart
the decision and recompense of your love.

The Lord Himself be our safety and shield;
let the world see and draw close to your anointed

and be given you alone. Let them see you in truth
let them stand in awe at your outpouring touch
that we none deserve but your love demands.

Stand us monuments to the demands of your love
and the finality and fullness of it.
Let us hear the cry of your love's demand
call out to you, but move us.

Let us hear love and declare each lovely.
Love judge each one lovely.
Fill justice with compassion
for each face you see as lovely.


~JLB


After a later discussion regarding the role of forgiveness and love and other related topics, this seems more a prayer of/for outpouring rather than a theological dogma. It is theologically incomplete but not wrong. Even if every soul from now until the end rejects Truth, let me see them through the eyes of Jesus, who even hanging on the cross was asking forgiveness for those around him. Forgiveness seems that it may be a bridge by which love can cross, and even cross both ways (for what is love that is not reciprocal: only beauty?) and change that which can be changed, reconcile all that was made for mending, and bring an end to sin itself. (Sin [in part or portion] as separation of man from God. Jesus was the sinless man, and lived in fellowship with God; Jesus was the "mark" whose righteous death on our behalf bore forgiveness to our hand and redemption to the hearts of all who will turn, accept the adoption ordained [romans 8v.15] and toward the end of this futility and corruption [romans 8v.19-23] learn, draw nearer the father, and rest in His inheritance for us [heires, even the heires of God, and heires annexed with Christ (sorry the olde-English)]. We are accustomed to inheritance being the riches of the deceased, but that doesn't work so well in the setting of an immortal God. What is to inherit? Not land, not holdings, not anything temporal: we are appointed to the companionship of God. And yet some are not? it hurts me somewhere deep down to realize this, to know that the way is, but somehow a blindness is there and no illumination is followed home. I realize that God must sovereignly ordain however this can work, but the power of darkness is unfathomable when we stand in any light at all, as can be attested to by anyone who has been deprived of light while visiting some deep subterranean fissure or cavern. God move us, let none escape the chance at light, the chance of truth, the chance to touch and be touched by your love. And God, if you ever thought someone was unlovely, thank you for forgiving them, and for giving them sun and rain, and sustaining them ... for each and every face that you created you see as lovely. Each, and every.