dawn138
Sunday 28th February

New beginnings (John 7:53-8:11)
(note – we do not know what Jesus wrote in the dust of course. But I wonder…)
I heard the shouting first.
Angry voices drawing nearer,
Followed swiftly
By the sight
Of faces twisted in disgust,
Eyes cold with hatred,
Hands seizing me,
Clawing as I scrambled futilely
To snatch for clothes
And dignity.
The sun was hot
But my cheeks
Burned instead
With humiliation
As they threw me
At the foot
Of the rabbi.
I flinched
Waiting for the stones
Our laws said
They were entitled to throw.
My eyes cast down
In fear and shame,
I felt rather than saw
This righteous man
Stoop to my level
And write in the dust.
‘You are loved’.
And somehow these
Words in the sand
Reached deep
Within my wounded soul
And gave me hope
Even before his next words
Sealed my new start.
By Jeannie Kendall