Kyrie Yeshua
You have ordered the world
Into tribes and nations
Into social covenants for common grace
May we grip loosely the swords of state
Seeing them always as craven tools
Made necessary only by the common tragedy of sin
Unmade in the coming kingdom
May those who hold the sword
Do so with fear and trembling
Counting it a greater thing to fail at justice
Than to fail at duty
May we look to you as the source of every blessing
That flows from free and prosperous lives
Upheld by the courageous rearguard
May we look too with unflinching eyes
Standing vigilant over every show of strength
So that peace may always be preferred to war
So that justice may always be preferred to inequity
So that mercy may always be preferred to cruelty
And so that power might be restrained by wisdom
May your strong right arm
So order all things
Mike,
Do you mind if I read this @ church?
Wow, are you actually trying to get fired? Feel free to use it in any way you see appropriate.
I was thinking July 4th; I wish I were joking.
It would be a nice counterpoint to the children’s choir singing “…at ‘em boys, give ‘em the gun!” Again, I wish I were joking.
feel free. Make sure that your pastor is cool with the title “Kyrie Yeshua”. Based on some of the email I’ve gotten, it’s apparently a very controversial title for Christ. Oh well.
Hang on. What does “Kyrie Yeshua” mean, then? I just thought it meant Dear Jesus or something. Do Tell.
By the way, Michael, let me introduce myself since I plan to be here a lot. I’m Cerise, an old high-school friend of Aly’s. Hi.
Cerise
Ash, from what Aly’s told me about your church (the 7 or whatever Good Friday services featuring The Passion OTC and what-have-you) I think reading this would be a gutsy and very cool thing to do. It’s undeniably beautiful and would bless many. And maybe the REALLY gun-crazy blokes won’t have the je-ne-sais-quoi to actually get what Michael means…
Oooh, I’m a meanie. God help me.
Michael, I’m not a poet or even poetic, ever, but I like reading your words a lot.
Cerise
Cerise, thanks for jumping in. Glad to have you. I’m going to put a post up on the main page about “Kyrie Yeshua” because it seems to be causing alot of confusion.