If really He has your ear,
O preacher–
As you assure us He does–
As you tell of having
“Heard the call”–
And as we hear your
Pious pre-sermon prayer
That He will guide your mouth
To say as He would say–
And as you have taught us
That we should pray adoringly on your behalf–
Both fore and aft–
That He should work it so
That in having listened to you,
We will have listened to Him–
If really He has your ear,
Why do you not say
What He says?
Why, then, do you sometimes allow where He prohibits–
Or prohibit where He allows?
And how can you ignore what He proclaims–
Or declare in His name what He has not?
Was not the Son himself
Diligent to say only what
The Father had told Him?
Why do you explain away some of his words,
Hand-waving their meaning into
Something that suits you better?
Why do you say, “Peace, peace”
Where we are at war with Him–
And with his Truth–
And with his Righteousness?
Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
Have you not read
That these things
Are a matter of record?
Do you think we cannot read
Them for ourselves?
But alas!
I know that the evils of this hour
Are rather more stinging than that,
For you have made for yourself
An audience of those who
Do dare not care so much what he said.
And I have had my seat among them–
Who conjure up,
Under your tutelage,
The “spirit” of their own will–
Calling it His instead–
And thinking it that blessed font
From which your very words flow forth.
I see now that you
Have made yourself king
Of a vain people
Who like you better than
The One whose name they
Take upon themselves.
You have taught them to
Worship at the altar of their own will.
And I,
Having finally seen you for what you are–
Having discovered your artifice and scheme,
And having wasted and risked enough of my life
In this grand pretense and charade–
I see now why you
Never seemed truly eager
That I should study for myself–
Think for myself–
Explore for myself–
But to rely on you
To do it all for me.
I must leave you now and
See whether I can learn to stand
Before him on my own,
Having been so weakened by
This life of proxy.
I must go and learn
How to make things right
With God–
The actual God
Of the Bible.
