The World is not Ending

 

The World is not Ending

(“He raises the poor from the dust. He lifts the needy from the garbage pile to seat them with nobles.” Psalm 113:7-8a)

Come and see the beginning, the world is not ending;
it is being born again.
Do not see death in the red crowns upon the autumn trees,
there are still greening leaves upon the ground.

I do not fear the floods, the waters are not meant to destroy.
I do not fear the fire, the flame is refining my dross to joy.

Stop looking to the clouds, stop naming antichrists and demons,
stop squeezing anxious hearts until they burst.
Stop damaging the very children of God.

Come and see the quiet revolution, the world is not unwinding,
it is being renewed.
Do not see destruction because the tables have turned,
they are upended to make way for more mercy sans merchandise.

Stop looking at the crowds, stop counting your sheep,
stop herding your cattle into cluttered corrals.
Stop grinding the minds of the very expression of God.

Come and be the quiet revolution, Jesus is coming to set
the world free. He is coming this morning, and tomorrow afternoon,
he will arrive in the evening, he will arrive to the tune of
freedom and dancing, joy and banding together; song,
swirls, unframed masterpieces, unrestrained play on the fields
where children make the rules.

He is returning, and if you can hear it, he is returning in you.
Raise the banner of the poor, lift the song of the buried souls,
place them in front, serve them on your decks and porches,
escort them in the rain and shade them in the sun. The Lord
has come

And awaits to be revealed within you.