One of the authors mentioned frequently by participants at Theology Beer Camp last weekend was Walter Rauschbusch, one of the most important theologians of the 20th century and a powerful force in the development of the social gospel movement. I recently wrote about Rauschenbusch on this blog; it was great to encounter any number of people at Beer Camp whose thought has been influenced by his work.
In addition to his influential theological work, Rauschenbusch was also a poet. I often describe myself as “poetry challenged,” but this poem “The Little Gate to God” speaks to me. I hope it does the same for you.
In the castle of my soul
Is a little postern gate,
Whereat, when I enter,
I am in the presence of God.
In a moment, in the turning of a thought
I am where God is . . .
When I am with God
I look deep down and high up.
And all is changed.
The world of men is made of jangling noises.
With God it is a great silence.
But that silence is a melody
Sweet as the contentment of love . . .
When I enter into God,
All life has meaning.
Without asking, I know . . .
So it is when my soul steps through the postern gate
Into the presence of God.
Big things become small, and small things become great . . .
When I am in him, I am in the Kingdom of God
And the Fatherland of my Soul. Is it strange that I love God?
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