PRESENCE
(John 6: 24-35)
We looked for him on the east side,
looked for him after eating
the loaves and fishes, after
they collected the leftovers, 12 baskets-full –
looked for him among the dreams
of a king of conquering power –
looked for him among the memories
of manna long ago –
dream-memories of a then,
of a when-God-was-with-us
(the way we look for life in possessions,
among belongings, career obsessions,
our hearts sifting sand for hope and joy) –
and did not find him there;
so crossed the lake to find him
where he had left behind
the leftovers,
the once-upon-a-past –
to share the life not found in heaping baskets,
not found in power or possessions,
yet satisfying the longing of the
searching, hungry heart –
the love, the grace, that
can best be known in now –
being the bread from heaven
that is God with us today,
no matter the side of the lake
where we are found.