by Ken Sehested
For what do we hope?
We hope for the Beloved’s Promise to overtake the world’s broken-hearted threat.
For what do we long?
We long for the moist goodness of God to outlast the parched climate of despair.
For what do we lack?
We lack for nothing—save the need for hearts enlarged by the assurance that every hostage will be freed.
For what do we strive?
We strive for lives marked by goodness, purified of deceit and malice, and hands made gentle by the tender caress of Wisdom’s approach.
For what do we struggle?
We struggle for the fate of every child whose sighs and cries are muffled by the market’s disdain.
In what do we rejoice?
We rejoice in rebellious acts of abundance in the face of every stingy arrangement.
For what prize do our eyes arise?
Our eyes arise for the Beloved Community’s embrace of earth’s abode and Heaven’s favor.
We stand forever on the edge of death’s brutal domain. Yet hope remains while the company is true.*
May the company be true, indeed!