THE PARABLE OF THE WARES
AND THE LOST CITY

A KING SENT HIS ONLY SON TO A GREAT CITY
TO GIVE OF THE WEALTH WHICH HE OWNED
HE HAD SO MUCH TO GIVE AND YET,
HE KNEW THAT THERE WERE MANY IN NEED IN
THE CITY NEARBY WHICH WAS ONE OF HIS PROVIDENCES
THE YOUNG MAN WOULD MEET PEOPLE AND GIVE TO THEM
AS HE BELIEVED THAT THEY NEEDED
SOME WERE GRATEFUL, BUT MANY TURNED AND LEFT
WITHOUT A MERE "THANK YOU"
THEY KNEW THAT THE KING HAD SENT THE SON
AND SO, THEY FELT LIKE SOMEHOW THE KING
OWED THEM THESE GIFTS
THE YOUNG MAN DESPAIRED AT TIMES FOR SURELY
THERE MUST BE SOME THAT WERE APPRECIATIVE
HE GAVE MANY GIFTS AWAY OF GREAT WEALTH
BUT MOST WOULD NOT EVEN ACKNOWLEDGE TO OTHERS
WHERE THE GIFT HAD COME FROM

WITHIN MONTHS THE KING CALLED THE YOUNG MAN HOME
THE KING ASKED THE SON WHAT HE HAS DISCOVERED IN THIS LAND
BUT THE YOUNG MAN WOULD NOT ANSWER
FOR HIS HEART HAD GROWN HARDENED
AND HE CHOSE TO REMAIN SILENT RATHER THAN SHARE WITH THE KING
THAT THE PEOPLE WERE NOT APPRECIATIVE
THE KING WAS A VERY WISE MAN
AND HE KNEW THAT HIS SON'S SILENCE WAS DESPAIR
BECAUSE THE SON WAS SO MUCH LIKE THE FATHER
AND DESIRED TO GIVE AND GIVE AND GIVE

THE KING SENT THE YOUNG MAN TO A DIFFERENT PROVINCE
THIS COUNTRY DID NOT BELONG TO THE KING
AT FIRST, THE SON FEARED THAT ONCE AGAIN HE WOULD NOT BE ACCEPTED
EVEN WITH ALL THE GIFTS HE HAD TO GIVE OUT
HE HAD REMAINED AN OUTCAST IN THE FORMER LAND
BUT TO THE NEW LAND HE WENT AND HOPED FOR BETTER DAYS
FOR SURELY HE LOVED TO GIVE AND HE LOVED TO SEE THE PEOPLE PROSPER

AS THE YOUNG MAN STOOD UPON THE CORNER
AS HE DID IN THE OTHER PROVIDENCE
HE WAS GREETED WARMLY AND ASKED INTO HOMES TO SUP WITH THE PEOPLE
THE GIFTS WHICH HE BEGAN TO GIVE WERE NOT AS
PROFOUND AS HE HAD GIVEN
BEFORE BUT HE FOUND THAT THE HEARTS WERE SO OPEN AND LOVING
HE GAVE AND HE GAVE
BUT IN THIS PROVIDENCE HE WAS NOT AN "OUTSIDER"
BUT A FRIEND AND HIS NAME BECAME WELL-KNOWN
NO ONE WOULD SPEAK OF HIS NAME IN THE FORMER PROVINCE
FOR THAT WOULD SURELY LABEL THEM AS AN OUTSIDER, TOO

THE KING CALLED THE YOUNG MAN HOME
AND THIS TIME THE KING DID NOT HAVE TO ASK HOW IT HAD GONE
FOR THE SON'S FACE TOLD THE WHOLE STORY
THE KING QUICKLY SOLD THE FIRST PROVIDENCE
AND ADOPTED THE LATTER
THE KING AND THE KING'S SON WOULD BE SEEN
OFTEN IN THE NEW PROVIDENCE
THEY WERE ACCEPTED AND REVERED
NOT BECAUSE OF THE GIFTS
BUT JUST BECAUSE THE HEARTS OF THE PEOPLE WERE OPEN
TO WHO THEY WERE
AND WERE NOT ASHAMED OF THEM

IT IS A SHORT STORY BUT ONE FOR WHICH MY SERVANT KNOWS WELL
FOR I SENT HER INTO THE MIDST OF THE "CHURCH" FOR 6 YEARS
AND SHE GAVE AND GAVE FROM MY HAND
BOTH GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT AND MAGNIFICENT GIFTS
TO MEET PHYSICAL NEEDS
BUT STILL AN OUTCAST SHE REMAINED
PEOPLE WOULD NOT SPEAK OF THEIR ASSOCIATION WITH HER
FOR THEY DID NOT WANT TO TAINT THEIR OWN NAME
MOST WOULD NOT REVEAL WHERE THEIR GIFTS HAD COME FROM
FOR SURELY PEOPLE WOULD LABEL THEM, TOO
BUT I HAVE SEEN HER FACE AND KNOW HER HEART
AND NOT ONE MORE GIFT WILL BE GIVEN TO THOSE WHO
CALL THEMSELVES MINE BUT TREAT MY FRIEND AS AN OUTCAST
I HAVE SENT HER ON TO THOSE WHO DO NOT PROCLAIM TO KNOW ME
BUT THEIR HEARTS ARE OPEN AND THEIR LOVE IS HEALING
AND I HAVE BEGUN TO BRING HEALING TO HER SOUL

WAS I WRONG TO SEND HER TO THOSE
WHO CALL THEMSELVES MY OWN?
NO, FOR IT WAS A TEST
BUT JUST AS THEY TREAT ME - THEY TREAT HER
AND SO, I DO DISOWN THEM AND COUNT THEM AS "SOLD" UNTO ANOTHER
BUT THOSE WHO WILL RECEIVE MY GIFTS THROUGH MY SERVANT
ALSO RECEIVE ME

AND I WOKE YOU UP EARLY THIS DAY, SERVANT
TO BRING YOU THIS NEWS
FOR THE ANOINTING UPON YOU AND THE RICHES WHICH I HAVE GIVEN YOU
WILL ONLY INCREASE AND INCREASE
TO GIVE TO THE WORLD WHAT THE "CHURCH" WAS ASHAMED
TO RECEIVE FROM US
YOUR NAME IS NOT THE ONLY ONE INVOLVED IN THIS STORY
I AM THE KING WHOM THEY DID NOT THANK
HOW MANY TIMES DID YOU TRY TO GIVE MY GIFTS TO THE PEOPLE
AND THEY WOULD RETURN THEM TO YOUR DOORSTEP
OR THE PEOPLE REFUSED TO ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR NAME?
TOO MANY TIMES
BUT YOUR HEART AND SOUL WILL HEAL AS YOU GIVE FORTH MY GIFTS
TO THE NEW - THE THANKFUL - THE LOVING AND KIND
I'M PREPARING YOU TO GIVE AWAY ONE MORE CAR
AND I HAD TOLD YOU WHEN YOU BOUGHT THIS ONE
THAT I WOULD NOT REQUIRE YOU TO GIVE IT AWAY
BUT LIKE FATHER - LIKE DAUGHTER
YOU ASKED ME IF YOU COULD
WHAT CAN I SAY BUT
"YES"
FOR SURELY THE ONES FOR WHICH YOU HAVE CHOSEN
HAVE ALREADY INCLUDED YOU AND LOVED YOU
WITHOUT THE GIFT
AND YET, MANY OF THOSE TO WHOM YOU GAVE GIFTS TO BEFORE
WHO CLAIMED TO BE MINE
WOULD NOT EVEN LOVE YOU WITH THE RECEIPT OF THE GIFTS

IT'S A WHOLE NEW WORLD, CHILD
BUT THIS ONE YOU WILL LIKE VERY MUCH
FOR AS THE ANOINTING INCREASES UPON YOU
YOU WILL BE AS A MAGNET DRAWING THE PEOPLE TO ME
YOU WILL KNOW THAT THEIR HEARTS ARE TENDER AND LOVING
FOR THEY WILL NOT TREAT YOU AS AN OUTCAST

I WALKED THE STREETS OF JERUSALEM
AND I WAS AN OUTCAST
SO THAT MY PEOPLE WOULD NOT HAVE TO BE
BUT EVEN UNTO THIS DAY
THOSE WHO TRULY FOLLOW ME ARE TREATED AS OUTCASTS
FOR THEY FAIL TO COMPROMISE
BUT TO THE GREAT CITY I WILL SEND THEM ALL
TO THE WORLD OF TENDER HEARTS
I WILL BRING THEM "HOME"
AND I SAY TO YOU THIS DAY, SERVANT
SHALOM
FOR THE HEART WHICH YOU LAID IN MY HANDS
WILL NOW BE HEALED
THE SOUL WHICH YOU DELIVERED UNTO ME FOR MY PURPOSES
WILL ONCE AGAIN BE WHOLE
AND THE PEOPLE WHO REFUSED OUR GIFTS
WILL BE ETERNALLY FORGOTTEN
FOR YOU WILL HAVE A "FAMILY" NOW
ONES WHO LOVE YOU AND LOVE ME
AND ALL WILL BE AS IT WAS PLANNED IN THE BEGINNING
FOR I CANNOT CONTINUE TO GIVE TO THOSE WHO DON'T WARRANT
MY ATTENTION
AND ARE ASHAMED OF MY SERVANT
BUT UNTO THE NEW
I DELIVER YOU

DO NOT LOOK BACK
DO NOT REMEMBER THE FORMER DAYS
LET ME DRY ALL THE TEARS
AND I WILL SOON BRING FORTH TEARS OF JOY
FOR LOVE IS COMING YOUR WAY
AND I WILL ADOPT A NEW PEOPLE
ONES WHO ARE LIKE I AM
AND YOU WILL KNOW MY LOVE THROUGH THESE WHO COME
 NOT JUST TO RECEIVE FROM MY HAND THROUGH YOU
BUT THOSE WHO GIVE AND GIVE AND GIVE TO YOU
OF MY LOVE WITHIN THEIR HEARTS

HAPPY DAYS
OH
HAPPY
DAYS!