In the Courtyard with Margaret McGee

New liturgy, engagement with scripture, and careful attention to everyday life

Lectio + Haiku
 

Scripture

Proverbs 8:1-4; 22-31

Does not wisdom call,
and does not understanding raise her voice?
On the heights, beside the way,
      at the crossroads she takes her stand;
beside the gates in front of the town,
      at the entrance of the portals she cries out:
“To you, O people, I call,
      and my cry is to all that live.

The LORD created me at the beginning of his work,
      the first of his acts of long ago.
Ages ago I was set up,
      at the first, before the beginning of the earth.
When there were no depths I was brought forth,
      when there were no springs abounding with water.
Before the mountains had been shaped,
      before the hills, I was brought forth--
when he had not yet made earth and fields,
      or the world’s first bits of soil.
When he established the heavens, I was there,
      when he drew a circle on the face of the deep,
when he made firm the skies above,
      when he established the fountains of the deep,
when he assigned to the sea its limit,
      so that the waters might not transgress his command,
when he marked out the foundations of the earth,
      then I was beside him, like a master worker;
and I was daily his delight,
      rejoicing before him always,
rejoicing in his inhabited world
      and delighting in the human race.
 

Steps for responding

--  Take a moment for silence, becoming aware of God’s presence.

--  Slowly read the scripture passage, then read it again, listening with both heart and mind.

--  Jot down a few words or phrases from the text that “rise up” and carry energy for you at this moment.

--  Now put the passage aside and turn to the scriptural words you jotted down.

     Spend time with the memories, feelings, and associations they carry to you.

--  Write a haiku that includes at least one of those words. (It’s okay to use a different form of the word

     if it works better in your haiku. For example, if the word “sowing” is on your list, it’s okay to use “sow.”)

--  Return to the scripture passage, read it one more time, then read your haiku response.

--  Take another moment for silence in God’s presence.

Share your response

To join your haiku with others in the courtyard, fill in the form available on the website.

I review each haiku for appropriate language before posting it. That doesn’t mean I’m looking for a particular tone

or message. Your haiku response can be joyful, sideways, hot, cool, contrary, or whatever feels true to you now.

Scripture is filled with people who grapple with God, crying out in anger and loss. A haiku that rails

against the message can be as prayerful as one that embraces it.

It may take a few days for your haiku to appear. During the month, the group poem will keep changing

and growing as others join the conversation. If your conversation with God in Lectio + Haiku continues,

feel free to send more haiku for posting.

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