Maundy Thursday: Reflections

Mabry Mill Upside Down “Mabry Mill Upside Down,” by S.G. Hunter

Bread.
Sourdough.
Pumpernickel.
Rye.
Old standbys—wheat and white.
Bread.
The stuff of life.
We break it, eat it, think almost nothing of it.
Golden-crusted loaves seasoned by the smell of the earth
Passed from me to you to the stranger.
We cannot live without it—
The bread or the sharing.
Grace.

Green grapes “Green Grapes,” by S.G. Hunter

Wine.
Poetry bottled and decanted.
Kiss of sweet grace on thirsty lips.
Wine.
Remembrance seasoned by the taste of the earth.
Spilled out between us,
For us,
You and me and the stranger.
We cannot live without it—
The sip of mystery or the sharing.
Grace.

Passerby “Passerby” by S.G. Hunter

Water.
Trickling.
Surging.
Moaning.
Water.
We bathe in it, fear it, plunge its murky depths.
Washing over weary feet,
Soaking chafed hands.
We cannot live without it—
The brooding Spirit,
Sea-lapped promises on sun-singed shores.
Grace.

Bread. Wine. Water.
The earth.
Broken.
Poured out.
Stirred up
In us.
Remembering that does not forget
Hungry, wilderness people
In neighborhoods, towns, cities.
Bread. Wine. Water.
Our hands
Baking, pouring, washing.
Gifts of God for the people of God.
Grace.

Author: Jill Crainshaw

I am a professor at Wake Forest University School of Divinity and an ordained PCUSA minister.

6 thoughts on “Maundy Thursday: Reflections”

  1. I would like to print your poem in our Maundy Thursday bulletin — but I cannot find a name for the author so I cannot cite the reference. Can you assist? I will not print unless I have it. Thank you.
    Pastor Earl J. Haggard
    Independence, KS

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  2. Pat Moran here–I found you again! (How dare you say you’re a novice!!! This is so good. . .how lucky have I been to read the ekphrastic postings and discover you. My son just started work at a food-oriented place; I’m going to send him the link. (Thanks for posting. . .thanks for working. . .am going to check Amazon and B&N. .. .surely you have a volume of your writings out there

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    1. Thank you again, Pat! I am glad to make the connection too. I do not have a poetry volume. I have spent my career as a professor, so my publications are scholarly and in the theological world. My primary experience? Sermon writing and teaching preaching. Your words about minimalism apply there too. Too many preachers today say way too many words and fail to say much at all!

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      1. Hi again. One other thought–my writing partner and I have co-authored a novel under the name Hunter Crainshaw, available through Amazon. The title is Come Home Free. We are running a 24 hour free download promotion beginning tomorrow!

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