A reading for Monday of Holy Week:Can you believe it?
He parades into town
to a band playing.
Anyone else would have settled for that.
But not him.
People eating out of his hand
simply won’t do it for him.
He has to mount a campaign
right in the temple precints
He doesn’t care who he upsets,
or whose side they are on
Sometimes I wonder whether he wants
to alienate us all
Some of the things he does and says
are much too near the bone.
And no one it seems escapes his censure
no matter their pedigree or connection
And so he takes on the traders
and kicks into touch a whole system
of corruption and exploitation
that we’ve all put up with for so long
because we simply couldn’t see any other way.
I mean you can’t blame the merchants
making a fairly good living
on the back of our holy obligations.
That’s just the way it is.
There’ll always be someone ready to make a fast buck
It’s called enterprise.
But he called it something else.
A travesty.
Turning a place of prayer for all nations
into a pigeon seller’s circus.
We’ll never understand him.
Crowd puller one minute
Whip wielding fiend the next.
I dread to think what else he’s got up his sleeve.
Liz Crumlish March 2010
I am absolutely loving your readings/poems! Would I be correct that you are posting for each day of Holy Week? And if so, might it be possible to use all of these for my Palm/Passion Sunday worship--with credit of course? I can hear two voices--one reading the words from scripture and then another reading your words. I think it would make a very meaningful message.
ReplyDeleteSilent, I'm delighted that they have the chance of a wider "airing". You're welcome to use them. I'll get the rest of Holy Week posted soon - hope they fit the bill.
ReplyDeleteblessings