09/03/2026
This free verse poem created by CoPilot is a preview of my sermon this week. Come and hear and worship with us.
Free Verse — “When Love Misses the Mark”
Jesus prayed for us
before the cross,
before the pain,
before the world’s weight pressed Him thin.
He prayed that we would be one —
not polite,
not pretending,
but one
the way He and the Father breathe the same breath.
And He told us to love —
not the easy kind,
not the Hallmark kind,
but the kind that costs something,
the kind that stretches us
past our comfort,
past our patience,
past our last nerve
(Barbara says her very last one).
We aim at perfect love —
Wesley’s mark,
the bullseye of grace —
but most days
our arrows wobble,
our hands shake,
and we miss.
Hamartia.
Sin.
Not just breaking rules,
but breaking relationship.
Letting annoyance grow teeth.
Letting hurt turn into distance.
Letting distance turn into division.
And what do we do?
We sulk.
We lick wounds.
We gather allies
like soldiers preparing for battle,
telling our story
in a way that makes us the hero
and them the villain.
We whisper.
We recruit.
We fracture the body
that Christ prayed would be one.
But Jesus says,
Go.
Not to gossip.
Not to gather a crowd.
Go to them.
Alone.
With prayer still warm on your lips.
With humility in your hands.
With the courage to admit
you might be wrong too.
Go to heal,
not to win.
Go to restore,
not to punish.
Talk it out —
because most wounds
are misunderstandings wearing armor,
and most hurts
can be softened
by a conversation soaked in grace.
And when someone comes to us
with their grievance,
we ask gently,
Why are you telling me this?
Are you hurting?
I will listen.
Are you confused?
I will help you sort the knots.
Did you try and feel unheard?
I will stand beside you
as you try again.
But if you want me to hate them,
or carry your gossip,
or sharpen your spear —
I won’t.
Love won’t let me.
Because the goal
is always
reconciliation.
Always
restoration.
Always
the slow, stubborn work
of stitching the torn fabric
of Christ’s body
back together.
We pray to be one
as Jesus and the Father are one —
and sometimes that prayer
is answered
in the quiet bravery
of two people
sitting down
to talk,
to forgive,
to begin again.
Amen.
