Have you heard the story
Of an ass who played a donkey
In a school play?
Wait . . . a donkey is an ass,
yes, but not all asses are donkeys
And that is the preface to this tale ~

There were two cities
For which the people loved to visit
One city had much pomp and fanfare
And one city was quite quaint
With humble beginnings

I heard that the King of kings
Rode a donkey through the small
City and was welcomed by many

There were those who rode high atop
Their tall mares through the city 
of pomp and fanfare
And they received much fame
And accolades

A small boy watched from atop
A high hill
For he could see both cities
And the rider upon the small donkey
And the rich and famous atop
Their mares

He marveled how different
The people were who welcomed
The new arrivals to their city

Jesus, of course, was the man
Upon the small donkey
Arriving to one town

And an aristocrat, by his own calling,
Arrived at the other city

We wonder in this day
Who we would laud
Who would we bow down to
Who would we follow
Who would we praise
Who would we welcome
Into our hearts

The steeple of the nearby church
Shone brightly this day
For it had been whitewashed again
After the soot from the fires
From the Holocaust
Can’t get the blackness off
Our church
You can’t just wipe it away
It must be washed away
Along with the sins of the people

Now, I know you think you follow
One like Jesus into your church
He appears knowledgeable, confident,
Humble (at times), kind, loving
But he may also be the one
Who whitewashes the sins 
Off the steeple
And claims that the church is free
From sin, right before God

This is a difficult story to understand
And yet, a child would, if you read it to them
Don’t overthink the boundaries
Of this simple tale

The point of the story is:
Do not welcome those into your leadership
Who will whitewash sins, 
Who sit upon their own throne,
Who claim to be well versed and wise,
Who know the right words to say
But underneath is the devil

Jesus rode a small donkey
Through the city
He was not looking for applause
He was not there to be crowned King
He did not claim any right
He was not bidding for attention
He was on a mission - so very simple
And so very selfless
He was on a mission to save
You and I
By allowing sinful man
To shame Him, mock Him, spit on Him,
Defame Him, crucify Him

We all did this to Him

No one is innocent all through time
No one can claim that they would not
Do the same thing
But there is Redemption,
There is the exact same Cross
For each of us to die upon
To remove the betrayal, our rebellion,
Our desire for attention and applause
Our desire for people to follow us
Our desire to be the smartest
Or the most well read
Our desire to be praised

Go to the cross, people
People will begin to see
Who you really are
You can’t keep it hidden forever
You can come clean, be washed in 
The Blood of the Lamb,
Be transformed in the likeness of 
The Lord Jesus Christ

OR

Continue to whitewash your sins
So that people will still come
And follow you
But woe to you, for this day,
I decree that your mask be removed
And your core revealed
I decree that the whitewash will 
No longer cover your sins,
Your false identity, your “raping” 
Of the people to receive their praise
I decree your full and complete
UNVEILING
Unto your transformation
And sanctification
And this time,
It won’t just be the words you speak
Your cross will follow you all the days
Of your life
As a reminder of your tendency
To usurp the King Himself

End of story . . .