Dear God, I hated to hear that man's favorite of phrases---
repeated throughout his attempts to preach: "that little man, Jay-zus",
shouted at the top of his lungs, as his mouth was frothing and spittling,
subjecting our most exalted Savior to such "downhome" belittling.
Starward
Author's Notes/Comments:
I am not sure if my word "spittling" is correct English, but I have followed the rules of our language long enough that, from time to time, I follow the privilege of old poets to break a few of them. But only a few. After posting this poem, I have learned that "spitttling" is a proper word, and not a violation of the language, or a freak of my own coinage. I thank Patriciajj for this information.
The dignity of worship as practiced by the English Baptists, and the Baptists in Charleston, South Carolina, was, unfortunately, overcome by overly emotional and unorganized attempts at worship by the Baptists associated with the Shady Creek association; the way the First Temple was overrun and destroyed by the Babylonian marauders. But I fervently pray---and here, in these notes, I pray it openly on record---that the promise of Hagai 2:9 regarding the Second Temple shall also revive the Charleston style of worship.
A delightfully wry parody.
A delightfully wry parody. Your sense of satire is so instinctive and precise I too could feel some spray in the air and hear some mad-dog blathering.
"Spittling" as a verb is the present participle of spittle, but it's rarely used and incorporated so craftily here that you might as well have coined it. Perfect word choice that works overtime as imagery. I actually laughed. Still smiling.
I believe in his attempt to sound folksy and theatrical, this preacher did offend many, like you, who worship the Savior wholeheartedly and regard Him as so holy and Divine that any dishonor is an egregious sacrilege.
A wonderful caricature that certainly hits home for me.
Thank you so much for that
Thank you so much for that comment and validation. I did not look up "spittling" before I wrote the poem, so I must confess my ignorance of its usage. I will correct my note so that it does not seem that I am claiming to have coined the word. And the third paragraph of your comment goes to the heart of the poem's purpose: I truly and sincerely felt that he was committing real blasphemy by reducing Jesus to "that little man." Thank you for your customary and precise insight into the meanings and motives of my poems; it provides me the greatests encouragement.
Starward
Quite interesting on a couple
Quite interesting on a couple of points here, the first being that poetic licence is under the operation of each individual poet, and some are shier than others to employ that licence as with driving licences, some just have it for ID or just in case they were by force of circumstance be sitted behind the wheel of a moving vehicle. In poetry the feel and the deeming of coinage and such depends on the poetic process that has been undergone, as such no flippant dismissal or objection can stand up to the poetic argument that preceded. Second, should that now deceased preacher be of southern background or influence, and possibly even not may have used this phrase not to harp on the physical stature of the Lord (and I say this because it was spat out at every sermon) but perhaps (now this only being a suggestion of probable intent) refers to how the hearers (those who have ears hear...) have little or no concern for Jesus, that He is less important in their thoughts or philosophies of life where other things are grander and of more import in their day to day lives than the spoutings of a small village prophet (can anything good come out of Nazareth) thus, He may be little or poor or shoddy to the hearers but the lowliness and humble birth of the King who wasn't born in a palace, the wise then being made foolish and the mighty toppled through the contrast against the weak and base things. But that is just a suggestion of thought and not an assertion. Specially as I have no personal experience or knowledge of the Charleston style of worship.
here is poetry that doesn't always conform
galateus, arkayye, arqios,arquious, crypticbard, excalibard, wordweaver
If I may, I will reply to the
If I may, I will reply to the final statement of your comment first. The Charleston style of worship had a vertical emphasis---toward God, not toward the assembled worshippers, or toward people to be evangelized. The Charleston style of worship is very much like the Psalms: in which we, reading them, are focused much more on God than on the writer (be that David, or Asaph, or Moses, or Solomon). Yes, there are some personal remarks in the Psalms, but they are a minority compared to the majority of statements about, and praise to, God. The Shady Creek style reminds me of the last verse of Judges 21: ". . . every man did that which was right in his own eyes." Charleston is a verticalized worship; Shady Creek is a horizontalized testimony. And the great pitfall in the Creek is the tendency to begin with "Look what God has done for me," and end up emphasizing "me" instead of God. In the past, I have sat through endless, frothmouthed testimonies which put far more of an emphasis on the person testifying than on what he or she was testifying about. I do not care to hear an account (as I did in December 1977, the first time I saw the Shady Creek style) of how God helped a janitor find the right tool to repair a pipe attached to a furnace. But I would be glad---and it would be a privilege, in fact---to hear the praise of God as the creator of the cosmos and, as the Eastern Church often says, the Lover of humanity.
If I read your comment correctly (and I gladly admit my tendency to misinterpret) you tried to put that preacher's signature phrase into a very positive light. While I appreciate your kindness in doing so, a kindness which reflects so very well upon you, it is not---at least in what I experienced as an actual hearer of his shoutings---as accurate as I would wish it to be. When that particular preacher launched his favorite catch phrase, it always preceded some proclamation about himself---what he did for God, what he said for God, what he accomplished for that little man Jay-zus. I had not come to the worship service to hear that man's biography, or the events on his calender the previous week, or how he fixed the furnace with the tool to which God led him. I came to praise and worship the God revealed to us in the Psalms, and in the Gospels and the other books of the New Testament. I would much rather hear the Apostle Saint John's testimony, in his Gospel, to his experience in the company of Jesus, than to hear how that little man Jayzus told a clodhopper what wrench to use to turn a pipe.
But I do not write this out of bitterness or out of any kind of motive to dispute what you have said. I am emerging from a dark night of the soul, which began for me in 2012 and led to many bad choices, as well as nearly three years of relentless pain while a Foley Catheter (which is now gone) had been inserted into me. I am very grateful for the time I have left, and that I have been brought, as the Scriptures promise, out of that dark, starless night, and into the sunshine and starshine of
what Sam Jaffe's character, in the fi;m Ben Hur, called, "a returning Faith."
Starward
With this clarification and
With this clarification and further information on the delivery itself of the aforementioned preacher there is no disputing the fact that since "it always preceded some proclamation about himself -- what he did for God... and that little man J----" that he must have had some very twisted theology or sense of self-worth. Be sure that he will get what is coming to him in due time. I am more touched by the forgiveness and restoration that results from godly sorrow as this exemplifies the transformation in line with the glory redounding back and always to the Lord. Thanks you for the added context, that has mad it all clear.
here is poetry that doesn't always conform
galateus, arkayye, arqios,arquious, crypticbard, excalibard, wordweaver
And thank you, my good
And thank you, my good friend, for that reply. I appreciate your understanding of my intention in the poem.
Starward
Fine painting of a a moment
..to capture a broader experience. I felt the flying droplets of foam from my ephemeral pew.
P/s All words were once a violation of the language that existed before them. Oh, the the awful sin the first coherant words - the non-grunts, non-growls and non-squeaks - must have been. Please continue risking violation, as to aid poetry : )
Thank you, Sir. The preacher
Thank you, Sir. The preacher in question is deceased, and I am fairly sure that known who knew him will ever visit this website, but I think his attempts to create an impression of a "little man Jesus" was just this side of---if not actual---blasphemy. The Gospels seems to indicate that Jesus was a man of some physical stature---especially when one considers that, during his apprehension in the Garden of Gethsamene, the temple guards fell back and down as soon as he made Himself known to them. I happen to believe that the Shroud of Turin is authentic, and it, of course, gives us the image of a man of considerable stature and strength.
But thank you very much for the comment and the compliment. I am so glad to have heard from you.
Starward
You're quite welcome. This
You're quite welcome.
This reference that said preacher made towards Jesus being little or small is quite unusual, as a matter of fact I'd never heard the thought prior. I wonder if, perhaps, he thought it was a way to make people who might feel small or little - feel less so. If Jesus was "little" and is their savior, than they might be bigger than they appear, as well. I don't know, just a ponderance.
What ever his intentions, it does fly against the portrayal of Jesus in the Bible, as well as other texts not included there-in. And, of course, the shroud, which as far as I'm aware is regarded in the various sects of Christianity as authentic (or at least likely to be so).
I never found out why he
I never found out why he clung to that phrase . . . in every sermon I heard him preach (which was a few, not many, but far too many for my preference) . . . he would repeat far more than any Scriptural quotation or citation. Because of my intense dislike of his preaching style (very much a ShadyCreeker and not a Charlestoner), my wife urged me not to speak to him other than "Good Morning," and I complied with her wishes to keep the peace.
Starward