It’s raining by Zoe

Pentecost coincides with the holy day of Shavuot, the day on which we received Torah at Mt. Sinai. Like today in Seattle, there was thunder and lightening then too. Like so many of our cities, Mt. Sinai was on fire. May these days of conflagration mark the beginning of our country’s cleansing and deep healing. To do what I can to support this, I have added a page on the site with a list of organizations that are working toward justice in our society.

George Floyd protests continue nationwide as hundreds are arrested, cities issue curfews—USA Today

SpaceX successfully launches Nasa astronauts into orbit—The Guardian

Cuomo signs bill granting front-line worker death benefits—ABC News

May 30, 2020

It’s raining
by Zoe, on a journey

It’s raining
not just raining, but RAINING

great drops pole-vault off the street lightening in jagged pointers touching earth

the sound of rain loud like a stadium full of people loudly sighing thunder rolling in from far away heavens
gathering power rushing across the sky

the magic of the world washed clean
hardly any wind, as if all the earth stands still to be washed

my windows open to the sight, the sound, the smell

It’s Pentecost Sunday tomorrow
Christians celebrate the day The Holy Spirit in Wind, Fire, and Water descend on believers it is the beginning of the Church,
change is going to sweep across the world

yet today we hold our collective breath viewing videos of black men dying at the hands of those who are our “protectors”

black men shot while jogging, shot in their own home, shot driving in certain neighborhoods

the sound of “I can’t breathe” smothers the sounds of justice
may the sound of thunder be the sound of all the people collectively saying, “It is enough.”

may compassion, justice, and equality be the aroma of the radical Jesus who overturned the tables of those desecrating the temple by turning it into a market place and kicking out people who were taking advantage of others.

may the Jesus who courageously spoke against the religious and political leaders who thought they were better than those they served, be our example.

the prophet Isaiah said it best, “…loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free… it is then that light will rise in the darkness.”

Holy Spirit, rain change on us today.