The Sane Walked Away

The Sane Walked Away

(“False messiahs and false prophets will have arisen and will produce signs and omens intending to deceive, if possible, the elect.” Mark 13:22)

You had them convinced, you had them in the palm of your hand,
you had them believing you could cast out demons with
just three notes of your song.
The proof was in your words;
the demons were invisible,
you waved your feet like they were swords,
you proclaimed defeat while the crowd
watched in silent appreciation.

Your profit was enormous, your houses a dozen palaces,
you scolded the few who could not sing
the words you wrote that dug into the ears
of the unsuspecting.

You were not enormous but pretended to defeat
every malady, to browbeat the darkness as if
you had invented the sun. The day gave way to
innuendoes and deceptions. You feigned sanity
while handing out madness like candy. Where

Did you learn

To package it slightly, stuffed within your black coat
baying at the moon.

The sane walked away, went downtown,
and bought lunch for the hundred who were not
taken in.

False Projections

False Projections

(“And in their greed they will exploit you with deceptive words.” 2 Peter 2:3a)

You’ve made you words tools so slick
they mention “grace” and trick the ear to follow
your foolish ways that, discovered further and later,
alter the abundance called charis into a claustrophobic
closet of destruction.

You love so well, it would seem, that your words go
down sweetly, honey and cream,
and sell the love that smothers truth from young lungs
not yet learning to lie.

You give so well, it appears; charity of time and money,
cash and minutes…yet disappears at the first sign
the chosen few can see through your veiled morality.

Sometimes it takes years to dig deep enough to know
the truth you’ve been hearing
is no truth at all. And sometimes
it takes more light to come out of a cavern
than it did to be ushered within.

Be the beloved and leave the shovels of treasure seeking
behind the shed;
see the rain the waters the seed, that disturbs the earth,
moving clods aside to embrace the sun (along with
every other sprout planted with purpose or
scattered haphazard)

Share the coveted place inside the crowded spaces
where finally the light has broken the voices that
vanish like the morning fog near noon. They
held nothing and offered less; their smiles
were aliases for minds waiting to deploy their
final appeal. Padding their philosophy with
references to karma or “sowing and reaping”
they live in style until

The light dispels their false projection on old barn doors.

There is None

There is None

(“Dearly loved friends, don’t always believe everything you hear just because someone says it is a message from God: test it first to see if it really is. For there are many false teachers around.” 1 John 4:1)

They are political, they are hidden wind,
They are hypocritical, they are only half sinned.
They are magic words, eyeball readers, mercy cheaters,
They are meaning clippers, double dippers dropping friends.

I once listened, cried, wept at their altars. I shivered, shook,
waited for the catered message to walk me home out of the hardship,
carry me quickly from hell to His Lordship. “You have a Christmas gift
coming, my son” he said. (I love Christmas, always have. I would love
something wrapped and tied with a bow on top from God.)

“Where are you looking for churches,” he said, “I do some inquiring
for you,” he said. He did inquire and, along with my name, told them,
if it’s all the same to them, perhaps they might select another name.
(I was to blame, they dug my grave of shame even deeper). I was
waiting for a good report. Mysterious messages appeared, voice mail
(I hate answering voice mail), “something has come up, and we are going
a different direction”, right after he inquired for me, my hopes expired for he
had not told us but a quarter of his plan.

They are righteous (in their own eyes), they speak truth (in their own ears),
they do good (to those who will not embarrass), they preach grace (except to
those who need it).

The false are righteous, the false are correct, the false drink coffee,
the false buy you new ties and hang them around your neck.
The false reflect the sun, the false blind everyone, the false drink no alcohol,
the false do no wrong at all.

I have confessed, I have more confessing left. But the false, in their perfection,
never admit their own sleight of hand, yet demand full repentance from all
(the more you confess, the better you will heal).

“You want grace for yourself and judgment for others”, one once said.
Instead of responding, let me test it instead. Once said say, “I have said things
I regret. I was out of order. I hurt you with my words.” I say to Once said,
“All is forgiven. Forgotten. You are now free to move about my friendship again.”

They will call my wife names, and protect their speech with claims of
authority.

No wonder, more than once God, your words say, “there is none righteous, no not one.”