Was That You Boss

Here are earthy poem-prayers for those who believe that God is actually interested in what we think and how we feel. Even if God causes the clouds to roll and stars to shine, God is known as the trustworthy friend and confidant who can be teased, yet also called upon to “look out your window” to “see the smoke hear the noise / please get up.” And, yes, here God is always addressed as “Boss,” employing the language of nature and rural living. The paradox in these psalms is that calling God “Boss” reminds us that in every psalm, God has powers and understanding the speaker does not, yet the one uttering each prayer believes that the Boss welcomes whatever is on the pray-er’s mind. Indeed, the Boss is “all ears.”

J. Stephen Rhodes serves as canon poet of Grace Episcopal Church Cathedral in Charleston, South Carolina. Previously, he served as pastor to three Presbyterian congregations, as academic dean and professor of theology at Memphis Theological Seminary, and as co-director of the Appalachian Ministries Educational Resource Center (AMERC) in Berea, Kentucky.