John’s Notes: Clapham Village Newsletter, April 2021; and my Easter Day reflection
I saw a vision:
it was last Thursday at eleven o'clock in the morning.
I was standing at the top of Ingleborough, above the farms and villages and towns
stretching out to Morecambe Bay
and the crisp, blue springtime sky broke open over my head
and the Spirit of God breathed on my eyes and my eyes were opened:
I saw a new country, a holy country, coming down out of heaven
shining like a rare jewel, sparkling like clear water in the eye of the sun;
and all the sickness was gone from the country
and people moved in its lanes and streets
and people hugged as they met there
and sang in their churches, pubs and homes.
I saw the Ribble running with the water of life,
as bright as crystal, as clear as glass,
the children of Settle swimming in it.
And the Spirit showed me the tree of life
growing in the heart of Bowland.
I saw the teeming towns of Lancashire
shining in the sun
where there were no more homeless people,
there were no women working the streets;
there were no more junkies up the closes,
Covid and cancer were things of the past;
there were no more racist attacks,
no more attacks on gay people,
no more rapists, no more stabbings –
because there was no more hate.
And I saw women walking safe at nights;
and the men were full of passion and gentleness,
and none of the children were ever abused
because the people's sex was full of justice and joy.
I saw closed signs on foodbanks
for there was work and just remuneration for all,
and at the gate of BAE Systems was a shining sculpture of a midwife nursing a newborn child
and lorries emerging, full of sophisticated new hospital equipment.
I saw an old woman throw back her head
and laugh like a young girl
and when the sky closed back her laughter rang in my head
for days and days
and would not go away.
This is what I saw, looking across towards Heysham,
looking up from the country of death
and I knew then that there would be a day of resurrection
and I believe that there will be a day of resurrection.
Adapted from 'The Prophet's Speech', in ‘Words From The Late Late Service’, Glasgow 1993 (author uncredited, likely Doug Gay or Andy Thornton) – downloadable here: http://bit.ly/words-lls. See also my previous reimagining of this text for my home city: Liverpool Hope, 2003.
