Introduction: I wrote this poem about 15 years ago. I wrote it after trying to re-connect with the church when my wife and I decided we needed to “start going to church”. I was slammed with the reality that one cannot find God in a church. Although now I understand much of what confused me at that time, I still feel we lean on the institution more than on our individual realtionships with God. As a popular song these days reminds us, we must pray that our hearts be broken for what breaks His heart. Jesus never asked people to come to Him in a building; He rather went to where the need was, He met people where they lived, where they suffered, and where they loved. My prayer today is that we be more like Christ and be His hands, feet, and heart. Then and only then will we begin to approach what He so desperately re-created us to be. Don’t invite people to your church until you have invited them into your prayers…
Little Sarah shudders,
the cold sweat stings her eyes;
she has learned not to cry…
it doesn’t help…nothing helps.
She can’t sleep because mommy’s gone,
took too many hits…
She can’t rest because daddy’s gone,
gave too many hits…
Sarah’s clammy, petite body convulses;
and one involuntary tear pushes through, and
creeps down her face slowly,
reaches the end of her chin,
and drips onto the white sheets…
Up above, the Man is on His knees,
“Oh Father, must she suffer?”
Jesus weeps.
Ms. Jenkins laughs,
she stares out the window
waiting for her precious girl
to come and visit.
She waits and waits,
and laughs…again.
The laugh has more pain than a scream,
her heart keeps sinking deeper
into the abyss of loneliness…
she can actually, physically feel it.
Her eyes fixed on the gravel driveway
no dust today, no gusts today,
no reason today, no purpose tomorrow.
Reaching for the bottle of pain killers…
this will surely kill the pain-forever.
He stands with His head bowed,
His hair drenched, His eyes bloodshot
“Oh, Ms. Jenkins, sweet woman, don’t…”
Jesus weeps.
Pastor Klein stands up,
opens his notes on right and wrong,
his heart is hard and callused
He values his preaching more than love…
so he chooses to teach sin.
sin, sin, sin
don’t, don’t, don’t
The people are weighed down,
the hymns are simple prelude,
the offering most important,
the numbers, the dollars, the sin.
Hopefully it only lasts an hour,
thank God for saving us they say
their hearts drowning,
thank God for loving us they say
their hearts drowning
“They will know we are Christians by our love.”
their hearts drowning.
Jesus pleads before the Father with arms held high,
the nail prints in His wrists
bleeding and bleeding
His heart drowning,
“Forgive them Father”
They crucify Him again and again…
Jesus weeps.
The price is paid.
The pain is still being paid…
No physical torture could ever near
the daily suffering of a broken heart…
it keeps breaking,
He keeps bleeding.
Our intercessor is faithful and true,
He loves us and is always there for each of us…
But we ignore Him with His broken heart.
Jesus weeps.
James 1:27: “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” (NIV)
Exhortation: A pastor friend of mine told me something magnificent and sobering on the phone the other day. He said, “You know, we talk a lot about how Christ suffered, became human, was persecuted, and ignored even by His own people. But what about His Holy Spirit here today? Does the Spirit not grieve? Does the Spirit not deal with the same situations, calamities, and persecution that Christ did?” Wow, that is a real profound meditation! So let us embrace the reality that just as Christ taught, mainly, that just as He suffered and was persecuted so are we if we choose to follow Him. Are we suffering the burdens of the lost the way He did? Or are we sitting back on “Christian cruise control” until His return? If we are waiting for God to move, shouldn’t we consider that maybe He is waiting for us to move? Just a thought…
disciplegideon 