“We will go three days’ journey into the wilderness and we will sacrifice to the Lord our God as he as commanded us.”—Exodus 8: 27
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They heard the calling again—the wanderlust and needed ascension and escape from immanence’s small and life’s distraction.
They packed in the night—no more than needed or what could be carried on their backs—and in the morning they departed south for wilderness of worn mountains lowed to hills, to hardwood forests and autumn’s change, for quiet speak of stream sustained by wells and springs from mountain’s heart whose words were in the gentle, like Elijah’s wind, in voice over smooth and polished stones worn in water’s eternal run.
Three days, they remained deep in the heart of woods—slowing, stilling, restoring to spirit of peace under hide of autumn’s cover—first flash of yellows bright and sharp in contrast to paling green and the red and near-orange flame in take of the understory seeming as stilled and non-consuming burn as Moses’ vision when he went too into the wilderness for sacrifice and finding.
In hide and shade of the yellow trees, burning bushes near beside, they rested in listen to the words and voice of Spirit spoken in the stream.
Listening, affect4ed, immersed in the Wonder and awe: they answered in act to call and inspiration.
They made sacrifice—not of death, but one of life. Faith and hope and the greatest is love: in first two, they made the last—slow and gentle, long in last like song and speaking of the stream; endless giving and overflow from wellsprings of the heart.
In the after, they lain on their backs in upward gaze on Heaven-Light—broken splinter of sun in dazzle-fall through yellow and paling leaves that blessed in touch, warming, their open bodies and love.
Spirit made flesh, two made one: creation borne and made in faith and hope and the greatest of Love.