life: acoustic & amplified

brothers and sisters 

 

 My soul sings praise to God, 
                  who has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. 

         God has brought down the powerful from their thrones, 

                  and lifted up the lowly; 

         God has filled the hungry with good things, 

                  and sent the rich away empty. 

                           —Luke 1.46, 51-53

 

  

This dance is not the wrecking ball it sounds like.

It’s only that we’re startled that it’s love not might.
The blossom bursts the stone we live in. 

The Almighty naked and small, always, always.
In our vacancies the overwhelming Presence,

granting what we so firmly withhold,
saving what is beyond hope,

undoing our undoing,
lifting up what you despaired of,

putting to rest your own despotic king.
The righting of our upended minds.

Evil we can’t stop, stopped.
The mending of our grasp, and our failure to grasp.

Looking for love in all the right places.
In darkness thick as stone let there be life.

The truth of what is made of dust, or light.
Tyrants spew nightmares,

throw heavy shadows, heavy sounds,
but the poorest child defeats them.

A woman alive in her body shifts mountains.
She sings,

earth trembles.

__________________ 

Steve Garnaas-Holmes

Unfolding Light

http://www.unfoldinglight.net

   

  

  

  

  

  

 there are kings in this world
and relatives of those who claim the title ‘king’

distant and weak

who still claim they are special

some call them ‘blue bloods’ 

some pretend that’s important 

that being of supposedly royal linage

is to be desired. 

Thing is, it’s an illusion,

a fake. 

Mean and ruthless men,

brutal thugs,

willing to kill and subject others for their own gain,

grasp power,

name themselves kings,

and we gladly make them into celebrities. 

Truth is each soul weighs the same. 

Truth is, the only king is Christ,

and he came to set us free from such brutal horror –

because love is the true royalty,

and love always sets us free. 

Truth is, we are each the 

Beloved, special unique creations of God. 

Truth is, many times we delight in bondage,

power is an interesting thing. 

we love our idols 

especially when we can claim to call 

ourselves,

our children,

princesses and princes –

no matter how diluted the shade of ‘blue’ we want claim as our own,

no matter how delusional we are,

how vain and arrogant.

how we have been tricked.

we have traded our true royal birthright

for a small bowl of beans –

which is sure to make us gassy. 

when will we realize the truly triumphant need no slaves?

love comes simply through our helpless infant self

and rides on donkeys 

through the streets of our world

God simply wants to be with us

Jesus loves all the little children

our hearts tell us so

if we will just look past the golden tiaras 

and listen 

we will hear the angels singing

The Hallelujah Chorus!

we all bleed from the same source

we are all true nobility 

we are all children of God

😇

AL