'Be anxious for nothing..." ~Philippians 4:6

Friday, November 10, 2023

QUARANTINE LIFE: POETRY PROMPT---THE SHOW


THE SHOW

They say they’re representatives 

Boast, most enthusiastically 

But, little of His character is seen consistently

His words are cherry-picked and butchered; stripped of relevance

The wasteful stuff done in His name, makes not one lick of sense

Performative and fashionable, but no traces of Him

You want to see, but where is He?

All you can see is THEM


Steeped in their traditions

Pushing the latest trends

But should HE ever show up there

He’d hardly comprehend: 

Why so many are broken, hurt, 

And scattered far and wide

Why He must have a pre-paid ticket, just to get inside

Why the noise is anything but joyful, and sincere

Why hirelings think they’ve power to charge the atmosphere 


They’re making Him a laughingstock

Peculiar? No. Just weird 

So busy doing them, they don’t know He has disappeared 

But, they go on without Him

Just want His name, and fame

Three years passed, and look, alas, 

Not one darned thing has changed


Building bigger barns, emblazoned with their names and faces

No distinction; no different than any other places

Leaders picked—not qualified to speak, let alone lead

Lament a great falling away, that their prayers can’t impede


So many long to find a safe, authentic place to go

Get there, but quickly realize, it’s just another show 

Another place to be a fan, bamboozled, and misused

Another place to take up space; satisfy the amused

A get-rich-quick platform

Upon which human vultures perch

Another lean, for-profit scheme

That’s dressed up as a church 


Copycats and wannabes, all vying for attention

Strange titles and positions— far too numerous to mention

One thing’s sure, they’ve perfected the superficial stuff:

Clichés, manufactured praise 

And trite, self-serving fluff


Funny, how they boast of the exciting time they had

Seems to me, an honoree might be a little mad

If everything done at His party, lauded other men

If every praise, at every phase, ignored Him once again

If every time attention to Him, took a needed turn

Someone thought some other thing was more pressing to learn

 

Where’s the skill; the excellence 

Where’s the sincerity?

Where’s leadership, and competence?

Where’s the integrity?

Can anybody with an inkling, just decide one day

To repurpose a building

And grift, and grift away?

Decreeing and declaring 

But with not an ounce of power

Yelling, screaming, dancing, schilling, hour after hour

While souls, so lost; regret the cost 

They paid for promises

And empty words devoid of substance, truth, and righteousness 


Did the self-righteous learn anything while viruses attacked?

Has anyone conceded that the one thing members lacked

Was how to BE the church?

It’s clear they know how to perform

They know how to convince themselves that their way is the norm

They know how to applaud themselves

And judge what others do

They know how downplay abuse

Hypocrisy’s not new


Perhaps it’s time to stop the show; ask God to intervene

Teach people how to serve, and what true worship really means

Because the sideshows just  won’t do

Many are through with them

And they’re not going back, until the focus is on Him





Make it home


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