Hesson
by Rebecca Weber
Encamped along the hills of light, ye Christian soldiers rise.
The familiar words lift my eyes over stained-glass windows
to the vaulted ceiling of the unfamiliar church, far from home,
where painted scenes possess my gaze.
Later, in the church basement, food fills tables
and color and conversation flood the room.
My new friend picks out a heart cookie
graced with the icing word “joy,”
“because,” she explains, “my middle name is Joy.”
A few years pass, and I am here again. Familiarity
echoes through the sanctuary.
God’s not dead, no He’s alive; I feel it in my heart—
but still this is scarcely home. We are not here to stay,
despite the way I try desperately to belong
by standing near sunlit steps listening to small talk
about the sweater her aunt bought on eBay,
or answering questions in intermediate Sunday School
about Israel’s journey through the wilderness.
My world tilts, rotates into crazy new angles
of church and province, and sometimes I catch a whiff of Home—
just over yonder beyond the river—
as I navigate new worlds of song and sorrow,
conflict and conquest, oasis and wilderness—
Until the way leads back to the yellow brick church
standing strong as ever in October sunlight.
You brought us out to bring us in. I must be home
for I raise my hands with the rising music,
a brilliant symphony of living sacrifice.
She is still here, my joy-centered friend,
war-scarred, her tattered Bible now crowned
with the words “battle plan.”
The stained glass is gone, and light pours through windows
of simple clarity. Welcome to the place where you belong.
Another autumn: the church has changed hands,
but still stands, steeple stabbing the sky—
just down the street from the home
I am making in Hesson with my husband.
On a night of lightning and rain, we enter
the lighted sanctuary. Multi-colored memories
play through my mind, but we stand together, catch the note,
and from morn till set of sun,
through the church the song goes on.
Rebecca Weber lives with her husband Tim in their house with big windows, and she is passionate about celebrating the goodness of God and His beauty in everyday things through writing, relationships, and hospitality.
Photography by Kenneth Godoy