Nightmare In Purple

I fall over the purple cliff
down by the purple river,

lost and falling—falling deeply,
falling into darkness, purple night,

deeper and deeper, from river
to sea, from purple river-water

into the sea, into the sea-water,
now purple.   I’m lost in purple water,

deep, dark-purple water.  I’m gone
into the depths of the sea.  My nightmare

is dressed in purple, body drowning
in purple, in water, in darkness.

“Full lungs, full lungs.  Lungs full.”
Full lungs cannot scream.  Cannot scream.

They only become purple, falling.
Lungs drowned. Body drowned. Body,

bloated & bloody.  Body, wearing purple.
Body-itself is bloody-purple. Lavender

light now swirling, the body vomits
river-water, sea-water, purple.

Sun shining through an open window,
the morning breeze

touches the body, sweating blood
like Jesus, then puking on seaweed,

water-bleached rocks. Dazed, lost, falling,
I cry out in my own familiar voice,

The body in question isn’t mine.
This body is not mine.

The Mission of the Church by Henri Nouwen

There are more people on this planet outside the Church than inside it. Millions have been baptised, millions have not. Millions participate in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, but millions do not.

The Church as the body of Christ, as Christ living in the world, has a larger task than to support, nurture, and guide its own members. It is also called to be a witness for the love of God made visible in Jesus. Before his death Jesus prayed for his followers, “As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world” (John 17:18). Part of the essence of being the Church is being a living witness for Christ in the world.