Ph: Faith: Fragmentary Knowledge Poem by Brian Johnston

Have you ever been puzzled by Bible's advice
That we 'let the dead bury the dead.'
Once it gave me the feeling that God's veins were ice
It was quite hard to see this as love
But I now think it separates wheat from the chaff
Service owed to the living instead
Shouldn't focus so much on our own epitaph.

If there's life after death, then the dead are with God
And through Grace is His Justice proclaimed!
Our attempts at controlling His judgment seem odd,
Where's our faith then in heaven above?
Earthly monuments fragile as memories fade
Even gravesites these days are reclaimed
Without God every soul's last encounter is spade.

Modern man thinks that Science disproves God a lot
But did God not create Science too?
Possibility Biblical insight is rot
Ours to tell God that He is confused?
We explore God's creation like 'walk in a park, '
Like a child trying on his dad's shoe,
Almost clueless, our best guesses flash in the dark.

Using Bible to cover our barely clad sin
Lacks humility, honor and trust
Desert exodus, God's love still taking us in.
After flood subsides mercy diffused
And the greatest of gifts, His son's death on the cross,
On our own we return to the dust,
Yet men count their mortality only as loss.

And the greatest of mysteries still is man's soul
Is it true? Is it there, is it not?
But if we do not have one then what is angst's goal?
Without soul then our death is just sleep!
Every night is a preview of death but for dreams
So it seems that we practice a lot
But if there there's a chance that God's Love still redeems.

When I look at the world I see beauty to share
And in evil and good I see choice,
These creations don't seem to show God's lack of care
But a freedom that penetrates deep.
For God's God is the love that He feels deep inside
And as children we too have a voice,
For our God serves His God with an infinite pride.