The Song Of Luke

Many have tried to tell this tale

And many died in the telling;

These words have passed among us all

As sermon, or pray’r, or singing;

My spirit said that I should try

To tell this story truthfully,

So you who love Jesus should see

Written down, his song and story.

In Judea, when Herod ruled,

Among the chosen people lived

Zachariah, with his wife, called

Elizabeth, in bonds of love.

They both obeyed the Lord’s command,

And people said good things of them;

Yet they were childless, and didn’t

Expect a child, for she was barren.

One day the priest Zachariah

Burned some incense before the Lord,

While all the faithful worshipers

Waited for him to come outside.

And there appeared a bright angel,

Standing next to the high altar.

The priest Zachariah trembled

When he saw the angel’s splendor.

The angel comforted his fears,

And said, “Zachariah, rejoice;

God has answered for you your pray’r.

Be glad, for God has heard your voice.

Elizabeth will bear your son,

And John will be his earthly name;

And when the will of God is known,

All the people will welcome him.

He shall prophesy things to come,

He shall fast and not drink of wine.

And even from his mother’s womb

He shall declare the Holy One.

He shall bring the Jews back to God,

All of them will increase their faith;

He shall walk as Elijah did,

And guide them to follow his path.

And even those who’ve disobeyed

Will hear the wisdom of his word;

He will exhort them all, arrayed

In light, to stand before the Lord.”

In wonder, Zachariah said,

“I know not how to know these things;

My wife and I are nearly dead.”

The angel spoke, shaking his wings:

“I, Gabriel, come down from God!

Hear me! I stand and speak to you!

I bring to you His holy Word!

So how else would you have it be?

Behold, you will not speak a word

Until my promise comes to pass,

For you did not believe the Lord

Such pow’r and glory could possess.”

All the people waited outside

To see when the priest would come out;

And when they saw him, they perceived

He had incurred the wrath of God.

He came back again to his home.

There, he and his wife hid inside –

They were afraid to show their shame

For what the people thought they did.

Six months Elizabeth waited,

And then the angel came again,

Now to Mary of Nazareth,

To whom Elizabeth was kin.

Mary, a virgin, was to wed

Joseph, of David’s house the son.

The angel spoke to her and said,

“Hail, Mary; O thou favored one,

The Lord be with you.” But when she

Considered well who spoke to her,

What sort of greeting this might be,

She found only confusion there.

The angel spoke to her again,

“Mary, do not be afraid now,

You have God’s favor, without sin,

And God will do great things for you:

With God you will conceive a son,

And Jesus will be his giv’n name,

By all the world he will be known

As Son of that God whence he came.

And God will give him David’s throne,

To be the king of all the Jews.

Forever after he will reign;

He will be blest in all he does.”

But Mary said, “How can this be?

Because I have no husband now.”

And so the angel answered her,

“Listen, and I will tell you how:

The Holy Spirit will come down,

The pow’r of God will embrace you,

God’s substance will become your Son,

Through you the pow’r of God will flow.

Though she is old, Elizabeth

Will bear a son and call him John;

The pow’r of our God is so great

That impossible things are done!”

Then, to the angel, Mary said,

“Behold, I am the Lord’s handmaid,

This is according to your word.”

And then the angel disappeared.

Mary went to Elizabeth,

And from the gate called out her name,

“Elizabeth!” with bated breath,

Who felt her own babe in her womb;

She felt the Holy Spirit’s flame,

And answered Mary, “Blest art thou!

Blest be the baby in thy womb!

Such gift is mine, I know not how,

That God’s own mother visits me!

When I first heard thee call my name,

The babe inside me leapt for joy,

And greater wonders yet will come!

So thou art blest now to believe

All that was told thee by the Lord,

That in thy womb thou wouldst conceive

His Son, the everlasting Word.”

“My whole being praises the Lord,”

Mary sang with tears in her eyes,

“My spirit rejoices in God,

Who treasures my humilities;

So now throughout all future time

People will know this mystery:

Holy and mighty is God’s name

Who has done all these things for me.

God’s mercy flows from age to age,

With a strong arm God’s will is done,

God scatters the proud in their rage,

Their heart’s imagination gone.

God overthrows these mortal kings,

Exalting those of low degree;

God fills the hungry with good things,

And sends the rich empty away.

As God protects all believers,

May we remember the mercy

That God has showed to our forebears,

And keep God’s faith eternally.”

Then Mary stayed three months beside

Her kinswoman Elizabeth;

And both of them rejoiced in God,

Till Mary took her homeward path.

Elizabeth then bore a son,

And all of her neighbors rejoiced,

But when she tried to name him John,

Not one of them approved this choice;

They asked what Zachariah thought,

“What name do you want for your son?”

And, speechless, on a slate he wrote,

“The baby shall be known as John.”

Then they protested all alike

That this was not a family name,

But marveled when they heard him speak,

And saw God had forgiven him:

His tongue was loosed, and the words came,

And the good news reached ev’ryone,

And all of them rejoiced with him,

And they wondered what it would mean.

So Zachariah prophesied:

“Blest be the God of Israel,

Who comes now to redeem the world,

And brings salvation for us all;

As he made words out of the breath

Of all the holy ones of old:

That each of us would not taste death,

His might and pow’r would be our shield;

That God would now come among us,

We would see his deeds of mercy;

The oath he swore to our fathers,

That we should be his progeny,

Delivered from our enemies,

To serve God without any fear,

And be led to have righteousness,

As each of us is God’s creature.

My child will be a clarion,

Making way for the one who comes;

All people will find Salvation

In the forgiv’ness of their sins;

As when God’s tender mercy comes,

Like the day springing up on high,

Shedding light, while the darkness dims,

Granting peace, leading us to see.”

In the fullness of time John came

Out in the wilderness to dwell,

Until his spirit could proclaim

The Word, before all Israel.

The worldly ruler in that day,

Augustus, Emperor of Rome,

Declared there would be tax to pay,

And each would be enrolled at home.

So through the vast empire they came,

All the people, humble and high;

Slow or fast, ev’ry one went home.

So Joseph came to Galilee,

And he, with his wife Mary, went

To David’s city, Bethlehem,

For he from David claimed descent,

And there the law said he must come.

When they came into Bethlehem,

Mary’s first pains of labor came.

There was no house or inn for them,

So she lay down with ox and lamb,

In a dark stable bare and cold,

And there she saw her first-born son,

In a rough cloth, fold upon fold:

And in this way God’s will was done.

Nearby, some shepherds watched at night

Out underneath the starlit sky,

And a bright angel cloth’d in light

Appeared before them suddenly.

The glory of the Lord blazed out,

And all the shepherds shook with fright,

But then the angel said, “Fear not,

I bring you all good news tonight:

Your savior has been born today,

And you will find him in the straw;

Look where all the animals pray,

And where the lowest make the law.

A host of angels filled the sky,

Prais’d God, and sang a mighty hymn,

“All glory be to God on high,

And on the earth, peace to all men!”

Then when the angels went away,

The shepherds came and saw the child,

Wrapped in a cloth as rough as hay,

And by his mother gently held,

And ev’ryone they saw, they told

What the angels had said to them,

That all should come and see the child,

And all bow down to worship him.

In eight more days it came to pass

They gave him Jesus for his name:

The angel had commanded this

Before he entered Mary’s womb.

They brought him to Jerusalem

To be presented as the Lord’s,

And make a sacrifice for him,

As law decreed, by killing birds.

And in the temple, Simeon,

An old man, righteous and devout,

Led by the Holy Spirit’s plan,

Came there to seek the baby out.

God’s messenger had promised him

He’d see the Christ before he died,

And when he saw this fam’ly come,

He took up Jesus and he cried,

“O Lord, now let me die in peace,

According to thy promised word,

For here I see before my eyes,

The savior whom thou hast prepared,

Which in thy word thou dost foretell:

The light of nations is revealed,

The glory of all Israel

Now rises with this little child!”

When they saw and heard Simeon,

Mary and Joseph were amazed.

He gave them all his blessing then:

“Our destiny is realized:

Many shall rise, and many fall,

Many oppose his mastery;

Yet he brings pow’r that conquers all,

For he sees all the sinner’s ways;

And ev’ry wish, and ev’ry care

Will by this infant God be known:

Should some secret still linger there

His tide of truth will wash it clean.”

A prophetess called Anna came,

Who had also answered God’s call;

She praised God and she said to them

“He will redeem all Israel.”

Mary and Joseph then went back

To Nazareth in Galilee,

And there the boy grew strong and quick,

And thus they were a family.

When he was twelve, at the Passover,

They went up to Jerusalem;

And when the festival was over,

Their money spent, back home they came.

On their journey back home, they saw

Jesus was missing, but they thought

He traveled with some others who

They would meet again in Naz’reth.

They searched for him among their kin,

But he was gone, so back they went,

And three days later found him in

The temple, deep in argument

With rabbi, priest and Pharisee.

And all who heard him were amazed

To see how much he seemed to know;

His parents were greatly surprised,

And Mary said, “How can you be

So thoughtless of us, staying here,

While we with such anxiety

Have searched the country, ev’rywhere?”

And Jesus asked her, “Why would you

Search through the countryside for me?

How can it be, you did not know

My Father’s house is where I’d be?”

But Mary did not understand

The words he spoke, nor what he did.

They went to Nazareth again

And she hid these things in her heart.

So Jesus obeyed from then on,

Increased in wisdom as in age,

And knew the love of God, and man,

And beast, and simpleton, and sage.

When Jesus reached his thirti’th year

Tiberius was emperor,

And in Judea, where they were,

Pontius Pilate was governor,

Herod held pow’r in Galilee

At the behest of the Romans;

Annas and Cai’phas authority

Over the approved religion.

John came forth from the wilderness:

He stood by the River Jordan,

Baptizing with his forgiveness

All those who repented their sin.

He brought to life the words of old:

Isaiah’s vision came to pass.

It was God’s truth the people heard,

Echoing from the wilderness—

That the valleys would be filled in,

And the high mountain peaks brought down;

And all flesh would find salvation

On a great, wide and fruitful plain.

John stood athwart the sinner’s path,

And railed, “You brood of vipers, who

Counseled you to escape God’s wrath?

Did some other prophet warn you?

Now bear fruit worthy of remorse,

Do not be proud and innocent;

Your blood will not soften this curse,

For you are curs’d till you repent!

And you may say, ‘But Abraham

Will show us all that’s right, and good;’

But I tell you, ‘From stone and tomb

God raises up Israel’s brood,’

For even now the ax will strike:

It cuts the root of ev’ry tree;

The wood God chooses not to take

Will feed the fire on the last day!”

“What should we sinners do?” said they.

And John the Baptist told them, “Share.

Do you have clothes? Give them away

To those who have no clothes to wear.

Do you have food? Then do likewise:

Share food with a hungry person.

For God is watching, and this is

How you should repent for your sin.

Tax collectors, do not be greedy—

Take no more tribute than you should;

Soldiers, do not deprive the needy,

Lest you also suffer from need.”

The people, restless with desire,

Began to question in their hearts:

“Is this one, John, the true Messiah?

Or is he one of the prophets?”

John said, “I baptize with water;

Yet One who has more pow’r than I

Will come and be with you hereafter;

And I could not untie his shoe.

He will baptize you with his spir’t,

Leaving the evil to be damned;

And those who merit being saved

Shall all be gathered in his hand.

The kernels God will salt away;

In raging fire he’ll burn the chaff.

You ask, ‘Am I the Messiah?’

I say, I am not, not by half.”

And so with pungent exhortation

John prophesied what was to be,

Until Herod’s premonition

Put John in a prison to stay.

Yet once when John made his blessing,

With water dripping from his hand,

The heav’ns opened over Jesus

So that a bright dove could descend.

The dove came down, the Holy Spir’t,

To Jesus, praying on his knees,

And above them a voice called out,

“MY SON, WITH YOU I AM WELL PLEASED.”

And so began the fearsome story

Of all the things that Jesus did,

Till he was lifted up in glory

And in God’s brightness he was hid.

Through sev’nty-five generations

The blood of God flowed on in man

And in Jesus, when he was born

To lead us home to heav’n again.

Jesus, consumed with holy flame,

Wandered out into the desert.

Satan the Devil called his name

But gave him no food nor comfort;

“Jesus,” Satan the Devil said,

“If you are still the son of God,

Then make this stone become your bread.”

But Jesus only smiled and said,

“One does not live by bread alone.”

The Devil led him up on high

So all men’s kingdoms round them shone,

And said, “I give authority

To you, over these earthly kings,

Who give me all their loyalty,

And you will have their offerings,

If you bow down and worship me.”

But Jesus answered, “It is said:

Worship your God, and God alone;

All things will be revealed or hid

When all our mortal days are done.”

Then the Devil flew with Jesus

Through the sky, to Jerusalem,

And high amid the temple spires,

He turned again and tempted him:

“If you are still the son of God,

Jump! Keep yourself safe and well!

For don’t you people claim that

You have a guardian angel?

I’ve heard it said, ‘He will command

His angels to be where you are,

And they will hold you in their hands,

So you will be safe in their care.’”

But Jesus answered, “People say,

‘Put not your Lord and God to test.’”

And so the Devil turned away

Leaving him in the desert waste.

Then Jesus, filled with the Spir’t’s pow’r,

Came back again to Galilee,

And people came from near and far

To be healed, and to hear and see.

He went to Nazareth, his home,

The village where his fam’ly lived,

And to the synagogue he came,

And from Isaiah’s book he read:

“The Spirit of the Lord is here,

Because he has anointed me,

To bring good news to all the poor,

And freedom from captivity,

So shall the blind be led to see,

And show the favor of the Lord,

So shall both slave and bond be free,

All by the power of the Word.”

The eyes of all who heard him read

Were on him, so he spoke again,

“Today you hear this text fulfilled,

And so redemption comes to men.”

They all spoke well of Jesus then

And were amazed at what he said,

And some asked, “Is this Joseph’s son?

The one with whom we shared our bread?”

“Shall I attempt to prove my pow’r?

To do great exploits as you’ve heard?

No prophet ever got to hear

This welcome when he first appeared.

With Elijah, you may rememb’r,

For three long years, heav’n was shut down,

The world knew famine, plague and fev’r,

Yet, Elijah rescued just one:

The widow Zarephath in Sidon.

When Elisha lived among men,

Though many lepers suffered then,

He healed Naaman the Syrian."

Then this congregation showed him

A murd’rous rage beyond belief;

They drove him out in front of them,

Threat’ning to throw him from a cliff.

But Jesus cloaked himself in Spirit

And he passed through the midst of them;

And leaving behind his birthright,

He went back to Capernaum.

Once there, he drew another crowd,

And all who heard him were amazed.

Then a man came who cried aloud,

Who was crazed by unclean spirits:

“Let us alone! Why are you here,

Jesus of Naz’reth?” the man cried.

“Your coming fills us all with fear!

We fear the Holy One of God!”

Jesus rebuked the demons then,

“Be silent! Now come out of him!”

And the demons threw the man down

And left him, free from any harm.

But those who saw the demons flee

Marveled that Jesus stood, so calm.

“He speaks with such authority;

Chastises them, and out they come.”

He found Simon’s mother-in-law

Racked with fever on her sickbed,

He drove her affliction away,

And, hale as ever, there she stood.

When ev’ning fell, the whole town came,

Bringing out their sick to be healed.

With his hands he healed all of them,

But asked the people not to tell.

The demons sprang out of their flesh,

Screaming, “You are the Son of God!”

Then the demons ran from Jesus

Keeping secret the things he did.

All night he drove the devils out.

At dawn he went and walked alone,

To a wide, desolate desert,

Contemplating the sand and stone.

The crowd came running after him;

They found him, and begged him to stay,

“I have work to do,” he told them,

And left them, going on his way.

At dawn on Gennesaret’s strand,

A crowd had gathered by the lake,

Pressing so close on ev’ry hand

That Jesus had no place to speak.

He found two rowboats anchored there,

Abandoned, for the men had gone

To fix their nets and other gear.

So Jesus climbed inside of one,

Sat and surveyed the crowd, and taught.

When he’d done, he called to Simon,

“Sailor, come out, let down your net,

Let’s see if fish are still running.”

Simon said, “Lord, we fished all night,

And as you see, we've caught nothing;

But I’ll row out and cast the net.

If you come, we might catch something.”

And so they did. The net was filled

So full that it began to break,

And Simon called to his comrades

To come and help him with the take.

So his friends James and John came out,

Sons of the fisher Zebedee,

They caught enough to fill both boats,

Till they began to take on sea,

And with the water pouring in

Simon fell down at Jesus’ feet,

And said, “O Lord, forgive my sin!

I am so small and you so great!”

And Jesus said to Simon then,

“Fear not, come, leave these fish right here,

For I shall have you catching men

And women, when the days are fair.”

They brought their boats again to shore,

Trimmed sail, tied rope, and battened hatch,

And left that place to fish no more,

For they had hearts and souls to catch.

There in a city, down the road,

They found a man with leprous sores,

Who came to Jesus, and knelt, and said,

"Lord, make me clean, if you so choose."

Jesus reached out and touched him then,

Saying, "I do choose. You are clean."

And all the leprosy left him.

Jesus said to him, "Tell no one,

But go and show the priests your skin,

And make an offering of thanks."

And though that leper left him then,

Still more appeared to swell the ranks,

And Jesus touched and healed them all,

In crowds all through the dusty day;

Then he escaped, outside the wall

To a deserted place, to pray.

When he come back, th’authorities,

Enforcers of religious law,

Saw and heard of his healing ways,

And argued over what they saw.

One day some men came to the house

Where Jesus healed the sick inside.

They struggled in the crowd to pass,

Hauling a sick man on a bed;

The paralytic could not move,

So the men found a place to climb,

Carried him up atop the roof,

And lowered him down to heal him.

When Jesus saw their faith, he said,

"Friends, I forgive you all your sins."

But when th’authorities heard these words,

They came and challenged Jesus again.

"Who is this man that says all this,

That he forgives the sins of men?

He is guilty of blasphemies;

Sin is forgiv’n by God alone."

Jesus said, “Is it blasphemy,

For me to do my Father’s work?

Is it eas’er for me to say,

‘Your sin’s forgiv’n’? or ‘Stand and walk’?

So you may know the Son of Man

Chooses to forgive this man’s sin,

Watch now while I do what I can

To make him free of all his pain.

Then to the crippled man he said,

"Stand up now, and take up your bed."

And the man stood and took his bed,

And left there, glorifying God.

Amazement seized th’authorities

And all the others who saw this;

And all proclaimed in awe and praise:

"Today great things have come to pass."

Jesus said, "Levi, follow me,

And leave your tax collecting place."

So Levi left his property,

To collect the wages of grace;

Levi honored his conversion

And gave a banquet at his home,

And with generous compassion

He invited outcasts to come.

And when th’authorities saw this,

They all asked Jesus, "How can you

Eat and drink with such trash as these

People who defile themselves so?"

And Jesus said, "Those who are well

Have no need for a doctor's care;

It is the sick I come to heal,

And sinners find repentance here."

They said, "John's many followers

Fast and pray and tear at their clothes;

While you and all these rabble-rousers

Feast, and don’t care who comes or goes."

Jesus said, "Do the wedding guests

Fast when the bridegroom is at hand?

Who knows how long this wedding lasts?

Will they not fast when he is gone?

A new robe is not torn in pieces

Just to patch one that is worn;

The seams would show in many places,

And still the new robe would be torn.

Old wineskins cannot hold new wine

For as it ages, they would burst;

Split wineskins are not fit for brine,

And spilt wine cannot slake your thirst.”

Jesus walked out one Sabbath-noon

Through the wide fields of waving wheat,

And his disciples plucked the grain

And ev’ryone ate some of it.

Th’authorities who saw them eat

Said, "You’ve broken religious law."

But Jesus answered, "Have you read

Of David, and his brothers too,

How they went in the house of God

When they were hungry, and they ate

The bread of Presence, not allowed

For any but the priests to eat?

The Son of Man rules the Sabbath,

So do not stand and point your finger.

Our bodies need grain from the earth,

And heav’nly food, to stave off hunger."

Another day, as Jesus taught,

A man showed him his wither’d hand.

Th’authorities still lay in wait,

For healing on Sabbath was banned.

He knew these priests would attack him,

But told the man, "Come here and stand,"

For any laws that he might break,

Would not restore the wither’d hand,

He asked the priests, "Now, is it lawful

On Sabbath to do good, or ill?

Should I heal him, or just be careful

Not to oppose your priestly will?"

So then the priests devised a plan

To punish Jesus in some way,

For they could see the Son of Man

Would threaten their authority.

Then Jesus went on the mountain

And there he prayed all day and night,

When morning came, he went down

And called his foll’wers to the height;

There he chose twelve, and they came down,

And they joined with the multitude,

Curing the troubled and unclean,

Sharing their spirit and their food;

To Jesus hearkened ev’ry ear,

Learning of blessing and of woe:

"O blest are you if you are poor,

For now God's kingdom waits for you.

And blest are you who are hungry,

For you will all be filled again,

And blest are you who weep and cry,

For you will laugh when all is done.

And blest are you when they hate you,

And shun you, and revile your name;

Take delight in your blessings now,

Do not be swayed by what they do,

Though you may be shunned in this world,

When at last you are brought to heav’n,

You will receive your reward there

As all true prophets ever have.

And woe to you if you are rich!

Console yourselves now with property!

For if your appetites are stretched,

Your starvation will come presently.

And woe if you are laughing now!

You'll mourn and weep another day,

For now the world speaks well of you,

But they’ll betray you when you die.

This is what you should try to do:

I tell you a new thing today:

Love the people who would curse you,

I tell you, love your enemy.

All those who curse you, you should bless;

For those who hurt you, say a pray’r;

And what strikes one side of your face,

For this the other side prepare.

And give to those who beg from you;

Take not what other people claim.

As you would not have done to you,

So must you never do to them.

For if you would trade love for love,

What credit can there be in it?

All those who sin are mindful of

Affections yielding benefit.

Likewise with gifts or good report,

If they are offered as exchange,

They can for love be sold or bought

The sinners' profits to arrange.

But if you love your enemy,

Do good, and give, expecting naught,

Children of God you all will be

Not souls who would be sold or bought.

Just as your Father cares for you

Must you be likewise merciful.

Judge not then what these others do;

Give, and you’ll get back measures full.

Seek your forgiv’ness in your heart;

And it will come back in delight.

Always offer the greater part--

And you’ll be righteous in God’s sight.

Can a blind man lead a blind man?

Will both of them fall in the pit?

The youth may pass the teacher’s span,

But each the others' needs must fit.

You see in someone else’s eye

A tiny speck of dirt, and yet

This block of wood you cannot see

Sitting before you in plain sight?

When you ask the other person,

"May I now take your speck away?"

You ignore your own block again:

You can't remove what you can't see.

Those who can see, now listen well,

And so avoid hypocrisy:

First remove the block, then you will

See the speck in the other's eye.

Each tree is known by its own fruit,

Whether the fruit is sweet or sour;

Figs don’t grow on a mandrake root,

Nor do grapes grow from cactus flow’rs.

From good hearts all good will proceeds;

Evil likewise makes more evil;

For ev’ry heart's abundance leads

The mouth to form the words it will.

Why then do you say 'O Lord, Lord!'

Yet do not listen when I speak?

Come now and hearken to this word:

I will tell you what you are like:

If you hear and do what I say,

You're like a man who builds a house,

Who digs as deep as he can go,

And on bed rock lays his first course;

When rain falls and the river swells,

His firm foundation is secure;

However hard the torrent falls

He heard me, and his faith is sure.

But if you hear and do not act

Then your house has no foundation;

When the rain falls your house will break.

I spoke and you did not listen.”

Jesus went to Capernaum

With all twelve of his disciples.

Some of the townsfolk said to him,

“Come to the Centurion’s place.”

The Centurion thought Jesus

Might help to heal his fav’rite slave.

He lay there sick inside the house,

And might be too far gone to save.

The town elders said to Jesus,

"The Centurion’s a good man.

He built the synagogue for us,

And the poor people come to him.”

Jesus went there to heal the slave;

But when he came near to the house,

The Centurion’s friends arrived

Bringing this message for Jesus:

"O Lord, do not bend down so low,

To enter here my humble home;

Stay pure in your nobility,

Even if my servant’s death comes.

Stay there outside and speak your word,

But please, let my servant be healed,

For though my life was sometimes hard,

I had to do as others willed;

Sometimes I had authority,

And told my soldiers what to do;

So send your healing in, and stay;

Lord Jesus, I ask this of you."

When Jesus heard this, then he spoke,

"I have never seen such faith."

The centurion’s friends went back

To find the slave in perfect health.

Then Jesus moved on with the crowd,

And they came near a town called Nain.

And as they all approached the gate,

People came out where they would go in.

They carried a man who had died.

He was his mother's only son,

And she, a widow, stood and cried,

Amidst the people from the town.

When Jesus saw her in her pain,

He said to her, "Please, do not weep,"

And touched the man, and spoke again,

"Rise!" as if he were just asleep.

And then the dead man sat upright

And he began to speak to them.

And all of them were seized with fright,

As if it happened in a dream.

Many people would testify,

"We have seen here a great prophet,

God shows his favor in this way,

To free us from the pain of death!"

Then some people brought word of him

To John the Baptist, by the sea,

And John sent out two of his men

And they saw Jesus’ ministry.

They asked, "Are you the one who comes,

Or should we wait for another?"

Jesus showed them all the people,

The blind, the lame, the sick, the poor,

And said, "Go tell John what you've seen,

How here the blind their sight restore,

How here the lepers are made clean,

And here good news is giv'n the poor;

Go tell him how the deaf can hear,

The lame can walk, the dead revive;

And blest are they who do not bear

Resentment when they know my love."

And when the messengers had gone,

Jesus began to speak of John:

"What did you see beneath that sun?

A reed, bent over by the wind?

And what did you expect to see?

A princeling dressed in something soft?

You may well find such luxury

In palaces, but not in proph’ts.

John is a prophet; more than that,

It has been written about him:

'See, I send my watchman out,

Who prepares the way you will come.'

Of ev’ry mortal that’s ever been,

John is greater than anyone,

And yet, when all is said and done,

He is less than the least in heav’n.

And to what can I compare

The people of this godless age?

They are like children at the fair

Laughing at puppets on a stage,

Calling, 'We played the flute for you,

And yet you did not dance and skip,

We wailed and we lamented, too,

And yet for us you would not weep.'

For so John Baptist came one day,

He drank no wine and ate no bread,

And then, what did the people say?

'He has a demon in his head!'

Now when they see the Son of Man

Eating and drinking as he will,

They all say I am a glutton

Holding my foll’wers in a spell.

Yet time will show this world how wise

Or foolish any of us are;

For wisdom traces all her ways

In her dear childrens’ destiny."

Jesus dined with a Pharisee,

And as they at their dinner sat,

A woman came in misery,

And knelt down to bathe Jesus’ feet.

She washed his feet with salty tears,

And dried them with disheveled hair,

And rubbed them with an ointment rare,

Poured from an alabaster jar,

And still she gave his feet her kiss

And rubbed the ointment on his skin,

And when the Pharisee saw this

He was aroused to think of sin.

The Pharisee thought to himself,

"If Jesus were really a prophet,

He would know what she’s thinking of:

For she’s the kind that can be bought."

Said Jesus to this Pharisee,

"I know a certain creditor,

Two debtors owed him some money,

But one owed more than the other;

Neither debtor could pay his debt,

So he forgave both debts for them.

Which of these two who benefit

Will harbor greater love for him?"

"I suppose, the one for whom

The man forgave the greater debt,"

The Pharisee ventured to him.

And Jesus answered him, “You’re right.”

He gazed down at the woman then,

But he spoke to the Pharisee,

"See how great a welcome is giv’n,

As she shows her humility.

I came to dinner at your house;

You brought no water for my feet,

But she has bathed my feet in tears,

Her hair has dried them while we eat.

And I received no kiss from you,

But she is kissing my feet still,

And still she rubs this ointment too,

But you withhold your precious oil.

Therefore I now forgive her sin

However monstrous it may be,

For she shows love without restraint,

While you would judge too hastily.”

Then Jesus said to the woman,

"Your sin's forgiv’n, now go in peace,

And no more may you suffer sin,

But live in charity and grace."

So Jesus went through Galilee

Spreading good news at ev’ry hand,

The crowds drew near, and ev’ry day

More men and women joined their band:

Mary, known as the Magdalene,

Who was freed from seven demons,

And Joanna, and Susanna,

And others gave money to them.

One day a great crowd gathered round

And Jesus told them a story,

Where things that happened were meant

To help them remember his way.

When later on they would recall

What he said, their faith would endure,

Temptation would not make them fail,

And their path would be safe and sure.

So Jesus spoke this parable:

"A sower went to sow his seed,

And as he sowed, some seed would fall

Beside the path as food for birds;

And some fell on the rocks nearby,

But as they grew, could make no roots;

And some fell in the thorns, and they

Would choke the seedlings when they sprouted;

But some fell onto ready soil,

And there it stayed to germinate,

And the plants grew up straight and tall,

To yield a great golden harvest.

Let anyone with ears to hear

Listen now to this tale of mine!

For these secrets I tell you are

Small fragments of a grand design.

So now the parable is known:

The seed here is the word of God.

On the path, where some seeds are thrown,

At first they hear my holy word,

But evil comes and takes away

The word from their inconstant hearts;

Those that fall on the rocks will stray:

They believe at the very start,

But since they have no root nor stay,

They leave when faith begins to hurt;

Those that fall among the thorns

Are also quick at first to pray,

But soon their fruit is food for worms,

They choke on riches, and decay.

But those that fall on fertile soil

Hold the word fast within their core,

And it bears fruit for one and all

With love and faith forevermore.

Now tell me, if your lamp were lit,

Would you hide it inside a jar?

Or put it underneath your bed?

How then could you see where you are?

I have a light that may be hid,

But someday will be plain to see;

Our secrets will all be revealed,

And we will all speak openly.

So listen now with ear and soul:

To those who have, more will be giv'n,

Those who do not heed heav’n's call

Have emptiness instead of heav’n."

People approached Jesus and said,

"Your family's come to visit you,

But now they can't get through the crowd,

So tell us what you want to do."

And Jesus said, "Do not expect

Some special favor for my kin;

My family are all those who act

On my word, and repent their sin."

Then one day Jesus and his band

Came down beside the sea to sail;

When they had cast off from the strand

Jesus lay down to sleep awhile.

And as he slept, a windstorm came

And their frail boat began to swamp,

They all shook and woke him up then,

And they began to shout and jump,

"Master! Master! We will all drown!"

So he stood up and stilled the air;

The raging of the tide calmed down,

And he made the storm disappear.

So when he asked, "Where is your faith?"

They were astonished and afraid.

He stopped the wind and storm, both

Had obeyed him, as if he were God.

Then when they reached the other shore,

The country of the Gerasenes,

There was a man who met them there

Who cut himself with the sharp stones

And shouted in a fearsome voice:

"Lord, what have you to do with me?

O Jesus! Son of God! O Please!

Do not torment me! Let me be!"

The man was naked, caked in mud,

And lived among the tombs, alone,

And the foul devil in his blood

Jesus commanded to be gone.

Often the devil seized him so

That people tied him up in chains

And shivering, the man would go

Crazy, breaking from their restraint

Running with wails and screams of woe

Far out across the barren plains,

And all the people saw, and knew,

Hearing the demon's vile complaint.

Now Jesus looked down at the man

And asked of him, "What is your name?"

"Legion," he said, for many demons

Had come from hell to enter him.

All of the demons cried and pleaded

With Jesus, not to destroy them;

Nearby there a herd of swine fed

Filling the air with squeals and grunts,

And so Jesus interceded,

And the demons jumped from the man,

And they all hopped inside the swine,

And down the hillside the swine ran,

Jumped in the water, ev’ry one,

Pigs and devils, all of them drowned.

The swineherds saw this thing happen,

And they ran off into the town;

Back from town a crowd of people

Came to see what made the pigs drown.

But there they found the naked man,

The one from whom the demons came,

Sitting with his new clothing on,

And as sane as any of them.

Seeing the man's tranquility,

The people from town were afraid,

They spoke of the calamity

That the pigs and devils had made;

The Gerasenes said Jesus should

Sail back to Galilee again;

Except the man who had been healed,

Who begged to go along with him.

Jesus sent the man on his way,

Saying, "Return now to your home,

Show them what God has done for you."

And with a healed soul, he left them.

Jesus sailed back across the lake,

And a crowd came to welcome him.

A leader from the synagogue,

A man named Jairus, called his name,

And fell down before Jesus’ feet,

Begged him his daughter to come see,

His only daughter, who was but

Twelve years old, was about to die.

As Jesus went, the crowd converged.

Out of the crowd a woman came,

Who suffered from a hemorrhage.

The woman followed after him,

She who was sick for twelve long years,

Now touched his robe with outstretched hand.

Her blood surged with some healing force.

Feeling this, Jesus stopped and stood.

"Who touched me?" Jesus asked the crowd,

And Peter answered him, "Master, see,

The crowd surrounds and presses us,

Why not ask them who it might be."

And Jesus said again, "I know

Someone touched me, for then I felt

My power going out of me

And an affliction being healed."

So then the woman who was healed

Came forward, trembling and afraid;

She knew her actions were revealed,

So there in front of him she prayed.

Jesus said to her, "Daughter, rise,

Your faith has made you whole again,

May your works show the world your praise,

Now go in peace, and do not sin."

And as he spoke, a servant came

From Jairus' grieving house, to say,

"The child is dead, her time was come;

Jesus, you should go on your way."

But Jesus, hearing this, replied,

"Do not fear death; instead, believe,

And then the child will not be dead."

But when they did finally arrive,

Jesus left the sad crowd outside.

Taking her parents and three friends,

He went into the room where died.

They wept to see her folded hands,

But Jesus told them, "Do not weep,

I told you she would not be dead.

Can you not see she is asleep?"

And they wept more at what he said.

So then he took her little hands,

"Child, wake up!" he called out to her,

And she woke up, and there she stood,

And Jesus gave her some dinner.

Then Jesus called the twelve to him

And gave them all the pow’r to heal,

To drive out demons, all of them,

And to save bodies and souls.

As he sent them all forth, he said

"Keep your hands free, where’er you are:

Take no staff, bag, money or bread,

Have with you only what you wear;

Stay wherever the folk will take you,

And leave them at the rising sun;

If the village you’re in forsakes you,

Dust off your feet and travel on."

And so the twelve of them left there

And went out into Galilee,

They took his message ev’rywhere,

They were his faithful company.

Then came word from Herod, the king,

Who had cut off the head of John,

That soldiers should bring Jesus in

If they discovered where he'd gone.

Some said that John could not be dead,

Some said Elijah had appeared,

“Who is this Jesus?” Herod said,

"I know not what he is, or where."

So when the twelve came home again,

The men told Jesus what they'd done;

They all went to Bethsaida then,

The crowd followed that afternoon.

As dusk drew down to end the day

The twelve came to him, and they said,

"We have to send this crowd away

To find themselves some food and beds."

But Jesus said, "You give them food,"

"Only two fish? Five loaves?" they asked.

"There will still be enough," he said,

"It’s not food, but faith you should seek."

There were five thousand in that crowd,

When Jesus told his followers

To feed them all with fish and bread

Out underneath the ev’ning stars.

And so they did, and Jesus took

The loaves and fishes in his hands,

He looked up to heav’n and gave thanks

His followers gave out the food;

And from the pieces that were passed

All of the people ate their fill.

They gathered together the rest,

And still there were twelve baskets full.

Jesus went by himself to pray

Then he came back and sat with them,

And asked, "What do the people say?

Who does the crowd say that I am?"

They said, "John Baptist, or Elijah;

Or a new prophet in our midst.”

He asked, "What do you say of me?"

And Peter said, "You are the Christ.”

Jesus said, “Don’t talk about this.”

He told them, "You will live in dread,

While I die in fits of vi’lence,

Then I will come back from the dead.

And if you want to come with me,

Then deny yourself, and follow,

Take up your cross, and find your way,

And the truth will set you free,

For if you seek to save your life

You’ll end it in futility;

Don’t think of keeping yourselves safe:

Ask if you are willing to die.

What does it profit any one

To gain the world but lose the soul?

All of them will still hunger on,

And heav’n’s banquet will feed you all.

Brothers and sisters, keep your faith,

Do not let love be killed by pride,

For some of you will not taste death

Before you see the face of God."

Eight days after this, Jesus went

To a place on the mountainside;

Peter, James and John were with him,

And they knelt on the ground and prayed.

As Jesus prayed, they saw his face

Change, and his robe shone dazzling white,

They saw Elijah and Moses

Calling them from a brilliant light,

A voice said his death would come soon,

When they came to Jerusalem:

They all saw and heard this, and then

Drowsiness came down upon them;

As the two prophets disappeared,

Peter said, as if from a dream,

Not knowing what he’d seen or heard,

But from the middle of a charm:

"Lord, let us build three houses here,

One for You, one for Elijah,

And one for Moses. It’s better

If we leave our cares down below."

And as he spoke, a thick cloud came,

Which overshadowed all of them;

A voice across the mountain rang:

"THIS IS MY SON. LISTEN TO HIM."

When the voice had spoken to them,

Jesus appeared, now far away.

Peter, James and John did not speak

About the things they saw that day.

Then they came down from the mountain.

There at the bottom stood the crowd,

"Jesus, please come here!” said a man,

“Please heal my son, my only child!

Teacher! I beg you! Look at him!

A spirit makes him shriek and shout!

When it’s in him his mouth will foam!

Your foll’wers could not cast it out!"

Jesus said, "Though your faith wavers,

You come to me when you need it:

It’s not his fault. Bring your boy here,

And I will cast his devil out."

As they approach'd him, the demon

Threw the trembling boy to the ground:

Jesus made him stand up again,

And he held his head with both hands.

He was healed. They were all amazed,

So Jesus said to the people

"Let my words linger in your ears:

Soon you will see my betrayal."

But his real meaning was concealed,

And none of them could understand,

And they were like the trembling child,

Afraid to ask him what he meant.

His disciples were all confused

By his tests of their loyalty;

So then an argument arose

Among all of them, secretly.

Jesus read their minds, and answered

By holding up a child,. He said,

“Children should be your leaders:

In them you find the greatest good;

If you love them as you love me,

You welcome Him who sent me here;

If you lead with humility,

The proud will follow anywhere."

Then John said, "Lord, today we saw

Suffering people healed by those

Who do not believe in your way:

Tell us, should we oppose their cause?”

Jesus said, "Leave them in peace,

For they are not against you now.

They are with you, and all their ways

Will help people understand you."

In Samar’a, there was a town

Where they met with hostility.

His twelve asked Jesus, "Should we scorn

This town for sending us away?"

Jesus rebuked them. They continued

On their way to Jerusalem.

Then some people stopped them, and said,

“Lord Jesus, at last you have come,

We’ll follow wherever you go."

Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes,

And birds have nests, but you all know

I go wherever the Lord says,

I have no place to lay my head,

And the Lord’s will carries me on."

And then again, one of them said,

"First I’ll bury my father, then

I’ll follow you." But Jesus said,

"Let the dead bury their dead;

Come, proclaim the kingdom of God."

To those who left their homes, he said,

"Do not look back, nor turn your head,

When you have taken on your share,

If you look back to seek your good,

You will not find it waiting there."

10.

Jesus sent out seventy more

To do as he would have them do,

Saying, "The harvest holds great store,

And yet the laborers are few,

So go amidst the wolves as lambs,

And carry neither purse nor pence,

Do not answer another's claims,

Nor be so quick to take offence,

Whatever house you enter, say,

'Peace be on this house,' to them,

And those who share your peace that day

Will keep it till their time has come.

And if they have no peace for you,

You will always come back safe here;

And do not wander to and fro,

But where they love you, remain there.

Eat and drink whatever they have,

Earn your keep like a laborer;

Cure the sick and offer your love,

So God's presence will remain there.

If the people of any town

Shut all their shops and doors on you,

Leave that town, and when you have gone

Shake their dust off of your shoes:

Let them all know God's kingdom came

As they were lurking there inside,

None of them will escape the blame,

God’s flame will come and scorch their pride.

Woe be Chorazin, Bethsaida!

Woe again to Capernaum!

To heav’n above their dreams will go,

Their souls and bodies are condemned!

Who hearkens to these fiends of mine,

Will hear a second time my voice;

If they don’t hear, they spurn the one

Who sent me to redeem their souls."

The seventy returned in joy

Saying, "We drove the demons out!"

He said, "Like lightning at noonday,

So Satan falls before my word.

See here – you are so safe and strong

You tread on snakes and scorpions.

Nothing can ever do you wrong;

Not emperors, nor raging lions.

But you should not rejoice in this,

That angels follow where you go;

But rather, you should all rejoice

That heav’n is there waiting for you ."

Then he cried out in love and joy,

"I thank you God of heav’n and earth

That these things you have hid away

From those of high and noble birth,

And those of wise and knowing mind,

And have instead come to poor men,

And given vision to the blind,

To know the Spirit of your Son.

Blest are the eyes that see, my friends,

The fond desire of king and sage,

Who did not see or hear the sound

Of my salvation in their age."

Then a sharp lawyer said to him,

"How do I earn eternal bliss?"

And Jesus answered, "Have you read

How your commandments answer this?"

He said, "They tell me, love the Lord,

With all my soul and all my heart,

And all my strength and all my mind,

And offer my neighbor his part."

Then Jesus answered, "This is true,

Do it, and you will know true bliss."

But still he said, “What should I do?

You tell me who my neighbor is."

Jesus said, "There was a man

Who went down from Jerusalem,

And robbers fell upon him then,

Out on the highway as he came.

They stripped him and took his clothing,

Beat him and left him there for dead.

And a priest came, and look at him,

And passed by on the other side;

On the same road a Levite come,

And likewise turned his eyes away.

Then, a Samaritan saw him,

And pity compelled this one to stay.

He dressed and cared for ev’ry wound,

And brought the victim to an inn;

Found him safety, and comfort, and food,

And asked for nothing in return.

Now lawyer, tell me, of these three,

Which one is neighbor to this man?

The two who turn their eyes away,

Or the one who does what he can?"

The lawyer said, “His neighbor is

The one who showed him his mercy."

"There is your answer," said Jesus,

"You should go forth and do likewise."

Now as they walked along that day,

They stopped along the way to visit,

Two sisters, Mary and Martha,

To get some rest, and food to eat.

There Mary sat at Jesus' feet,

Attending ev’ry word he spoke,

But Martha bustled in and out,

Too busy for religious talk.

Then Martha said, "Lord, don't you care

That I must come and go this way

While she just sits and listens there?

Tell her she should be helping me."

Jesus answered, "Martha, Martha,

Though many things distract your heart,

There is need for something other:

So choose with her the better part."

11.

Jesus was praying all alone,

And some of his disciples came

And said, "Teach us to pray, as John

Taught his foll’wers to pray with him."

Jesus said to them, "Pray like this:

'Our Father, holy is your name.

Your spirit comes. Each day give us

Our bread to eat and a safe home.

Also forgive us what we owe

As we forgive each others' debts.

And let us never evil do

Nor with temptation ever meet.'

Suppose at midnight you should knock

At a friend's front door, to be fed,

And from inside you heard him speak,

'Go away, I have gone to bed!'

Yet still, you knock again and say,

'I have a hungry friend! Wake up!'

He says again, 'Please, go away!

My family is fast asleep!'

And still you knock, till he relents,

And lets you in, and gives you bread,

Not just to show that you are friends,

But so he can return to bed.

You should be stubborn when you pray:

Time and again ask what you lack,

Seek long, and you will find the way,

The door will open at your knock.

If your child asks you for a fish,

Would you give him a snake instead?

Or, if your children asked for eggs,

Would you put scorpions in their bed?

Although your evil comes to you

Quite nat’rally, you still know how

To guide your children properly

And keep them safe in what they do.

And God does more than this for you,

To show the pow’r of the Spirit.

You will receive more than you know,

If you will only ask for it."

Early one day a sick man came,

Whose words within his throat would choke,

With healing hands Jesus touched him,

The demon left him; the man spoke;

And all the people were amazed.

And said Jesus was a devil,

Because the power he had used

Belonged to agents of evil.

They asked him for a sign from God

To show where his powers came from;

But he could read their thoughts, and said,

"I heal this man in my own name --

And not for your Beelzebul,

For even he would not divide

Against itself his arsenal,

But rather has made his bargain

With you and all your retinue,

To keep your plunder safe from God;

But when the final trumpets blow,

Then we will divide your rank spoil,

And those who are against me shall

Perceive the choice that they have made:

To cast the spir’t from their own souls,

Scattering in the final wind.

For when the unclean spirit strays,

It wanders through the desert waste,

And finding there no resting place,

Returns to where it was at first,

And though the home it left behind

Is swept and clean and orderly,

Still it will kindred spirits find

And make corruption multiply."

And as he spoke, a woman cried,

"Blest be the womb that carried you,

And blest the teat whereon you fed!"

And Jesus told her, "This may be,

But blest far more are those who hear

And then obey the word of God!"

And then the crowd began to swell,

And Jesus told them, "Evil speaks

And here today amongst you all,

You will seek for signs and omens,

And presently you’ll find your sign:

As Jonah cried to Nineveh,

So now the Son of Man will cry

To make this people testify.

The Queen of Sheba will condemn

You sinners on the judgement day,

For she from farther reaches came

Solomon's wisdom to display.

I am greater than Solomon,

As all who are still there will see,

And Nineveh will judge you too,

All they who sat in rags and ash,

For you ignored a greater one

Than Jonah with his little fish.

Light you your light and place it so

All those who enter by your door

May see, and down this passage go,

To find their own forevermore.

Your eyes illuminate the way,

And fill your bodies with their light,

Lest you your darkness hold at bay ,

Hidden away from heav’nly sight."

After he spoke, a Pharisee

Asked him to dinner at his house,

And as they sat, was shocked to see

He did not wash his hands and face.

But Jesus said, "You Pharisees

Would wash the dish and scrub the cup,

But inside you a froth of greed

And wickedness will bubble up!

Fools that you are! Did not the one

Who made your outside also make

The soul within you, stained with sin?

Reach in your purses now, and take

Alms for the poor, and freely give.

So will your sullied souls be clean.

Do not go calculate your tithe

Of mint and rue and cinnamon,

And still neglect the poor you see,

Nor denigrate their love of God!

Heed not the letter of your law

When you hear the stark voice of need!

I say woe to you, Pharisees!

When you sit in false honor's seat,

And love to hear the toady's voice

As in the marketplace you meet.

And woe to you again, I say:

Your life is like an unmarked grave,

Where people tread, and tread away,

Regardless of the wealth you have."

And then a lawyer answered him,

"Teacher, when you say these things,

You insult us, and our good name

Is damaged by the shame it brings."

"Again, you lawyers, woe to you

For when they come to you for help

You heap people with trouble too,

Because their pain pays for your keep.

And woe to you, for now you build

The tombs of prophets dead and gone.

Your ancestors had them all killed.

Now they are dead, their spirits flown,

And now, to magnify your state,

You recall and approve these deeds,

And build these tombs, and still forget

The prophet's words, the people's needs.

'These prophets I will send,' God said,

'For you to kill and persecute.'

So wash in all the blood you shed

Since God granted you these prophets;

Since the foundation of the earth,

From Abel to Zechariah,

Lawyers, you have shown little worth,

And now you will be tried by fire!

The key of knowledge in your hand,

Yet you did not open the door;

And those who waited, you restrained,

So woe to you, forevermore!"

And when he went away that day,

Th’authorities, fraught with venom,

With rancor, and hypocrisy,

Conspired to capture and kill him.

12.

Later he spoke to a great host.

Some fell, and they were trampled on,

And Jesus said, "Beware the yeast

The Pharisees will sprinkle in --

This means, beware hypocrisy,

For secrets feed upon themselves;

What’s hidden, will be there to see,

As secrecy reveals itself.

Speak in darkness and they will hear

By day, when sun dispels the dark;

And what you say behind the door

We will soon tell from peak to peak.

Do not fear them who kill your flesh,

For only flesh is in their reach;

Rather fear God's willingness

To fling your soul down Satan's hatch!

Fear Satan! Even little sins,

In the sight of God, are fearsome;

Ev’ry little bird is precious.

Though pennies will buy five of them,

Not one of them will be forgot.

I count the hairs upon your head;

So do not be afraid of me,

But find me in your hour of need.

If you listen to my words here,

Then I will listen to your plea;

You’ll know the mercy of the Lord

When at last you come before me.

If you condemn the Son of Man,

And then repent, you’ll be forgiv’n;

But if you don’t repent your sin

You will not ever enter heav’n.

And if the world's authorities

Would sit in judgment over you,

Fear not then what words you will use,

Your Spirit shows you what to do."

Someone said, “Please, Lord, hear my claim,

Because my brother cheated me --

He took all my inheritance --

Tell him to share it equally.”

But Jesus answered, "Friend, tell me,

Who made me judge of your affairs?

Beneath your greed and gluttony,

Do you know what is really yours?

Once a farmer, wealthy and fat,

Whose land made grain abundantly,

Wanted to store up more of it,

Taking pride in his great plenty.

So he said, 'I’ll pull down my barn

And build myself one large enough ,

And I will store up all my grain,

Until it piles up to the roof,

And I will tell myself, ‘My soul,

Now you have such prosperity,

Relax, eat, drink, be merry all,

So does your fortune multiply!'

But God says, 'Fool! This very night

The reaper cuts and binds your stalk,

Then who will eat at your banquet,

And fill your night with foolish talk?'

So friend, with your inheritance,

Or any treasure you may guard --

You’ll squander it in arrogance,

And leave no riches for your God."

Jesus said then to all his friends,

"Be not so prone to carp and fret

On how your bodies may be cleaned,

Or what to wear, or what to eat;

Life in the spir’t is more than food,

Our bodies more than we put on;

The ravens fly just as they would,

And yet God gets their food for them;

And you, my own, are more than they,

And yet you cannot add one hour

To the whole number of your days

By thinking that you have this pow’r.

If you fail in this little thing,

Why do you worry on the rest?

Consider th’ lilies of the field:

More beautif’ly than kings they dress,

And yet they neither toil nor spin.

If God will so adorn the grass

Which is killed by the fire or frost,

By how much more then will He bless

The ones that are clothed in the light

And counted with the heav’nly host?

O do not ask, what is the cost,

And search all day for food and drink,

Nor search in vain for what is lost,

And worry what others may think.

For though the nations of this world

May strive to build up all these things,

Yet thrones and crowns will all be hurled

Down there amongst the bones of kings.

So strive instead for heav’nly food,

The nourishment of all the blest;

And God will meet your ev’ry need

As through this mortal world you pass.

Be not afraid, my little flock,

For your Father has compassion.

Have done now with your box and lock,

Make do without your possessions.

You make an everlasting purse

Where heav’n’s treasure will never fail;

No robber comes, no moth destroys,

And your whole heart obeys God's will.

Be ready, as your lamp may burn,

Like those who stay up late at night,

Waiting for their dear Lord's return,

With food to eat and table set.

If the householder knows what time

The thief will come, he takes no chance:

He locks the doors and watches them:

So you must show your vigilance --

The Son of Man may come to you

At any unexpected hour;

So clothe yourself in light, renew

Your spir’t, and show you are prepared."

Peter asked, "Do you speak to us

Or to the crowd gathered out there?”

Jesus answered, "Consider this,

And then judge how you may compare:

If they are slaves to their own will,

And you have learned to master yours,

Then when your Master comes to call,

He may entrust to you his cares,

But if you let your will run free

Because your Master’s been delayed,

And you are ripe with revelry,

Then it will be just as I said:

Your Master comes by accident,

And gauges then your readiness,

And reckons how you came and went,

And chooses then which ones to bless.

From each to whom much has been giv’n

So much will therefore be required,

For greater trust will come in heav’n

When you are face to face with God.

I come to kindle fire on earth,

And how I wish now it would blaze!

The universe strains to give birth

In ev’ry instant of these days!

So you may seek some place serene

And dream my ministry is peace,

But no! There is a God between --

Dividing’gainst itself each house.

So three on two, and two on one,

They will take sides against themselves,

Moth’r and daughter, father and son,

They will deploy all their weapons.

You see the clouds rise in the west,

And think of rain; so, it will fall;

The wind turns south; you shed your vest,

Now the air swelters, and grows still.

You hypocrites! You know each sign

That weather and the seasons tell;

But you are blind to your own sin

And God will send you all to hell!

If you were hauled before a judge

And your accuser offered you

The chance to settle, and his pledge

To end the matter thus and so,

Would you refuse, and go to jail,