BOOK OF JUDGES ~ CHAPTER SIX

PART I
The soldiers stand tall and firm
They’re going into battle tonight
Haven’t you heard?
Many will not survive this long, cold winter
Many will die with no one to cover them

The sheep graze in the field
Their shepherd gone
He left long ago when he heard the cry
Not of the one lost lamb, but of greed
and wanton lust in his heart

The people sit unprotected under a roof of straw
Have the soldiers come to protect them?
Surely they have come to help . . . but no . . .
There is silence . . . only and fully silence
A small whimper of a child and that is all that remains
Yes, the soldiers stand tall and firm
They have their orders
Not one will remain

PART II
Cry out, people!
Cry out for the God of mercy
to come and save
to come and cleanse
to come and redeem
for Him to come now and do all
that you would not allow Him to do before
Cry now . . . for by morning light
it will be too late

PART III
The soldiers line the field now
Morning now well past
The fire can be seen in the distance
The smoke burns the nostrils
There is not hope
There is not rest
There is not peace
But this was all promised to the people
as they sat in their chairs and listened
to the shepherd tell his great tales
There is only death and desolation
The soldiers line the field now
Where will they go next?

PART IV
They mount the hills and traverse the valleys
They set the buildings ablaze
and create orphans by the masses
They have no conscience
no concept of right or wrong
They work and do as they are told
Relentless?  Yes
Because those in the land were relentless
in their pursuit of evil
They no longer taught their children
right vs. wrong
They only taught them to get all
that they wanted

The day must end
It is now well past
Sorrow, hatred, hopelessness, violence
rules the land
Where is our Savior, the people cry
But it just may be too late

PART V
A small child sits in a cardboard box
The sound of the overhead cars rumble
and quake this small home
He picks at his piece of cracker
left over from yesterday’s trash pickings
The smell is as stench
but within this child
resounds a sound, a small glimmer of hope
He rests his head on the dry side of the box
and remembers happier times and
the sound of mother, father, sister, brother
He sleeps now, for it is easier than being awake
and lying hungry
“Jesus loves me, this I know . . . ”
He remembers the words and his mother’s voice
No, I don’t want to wake
“Jesus, please take me Home with You.”

But you must wake
Morning comes
and what is that I smell?
I awaken my lazy feet and climb clumsily
from my box . . . my home
I smell something grand
a smell I had almost forgotten
A long white table has been set up under the bridge
and the people have gathered around
and chosen their seats
I hope there is one left for me
I see a small chair toward the end
I will run and sit myself down
I will eat my fill and know true hope
I will . . .

The box shifts and slides, crumbles and flattens
with me inside
No, I was not awake . . . . only dreaming
If only . . .
But wait, I know
I remember . . .
I can recall my father telling me,
“And unto you is born, this day in Bethlehem,
a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

“Jesus, if You won’t take me Home with You now
Please come and live with me here . . .
in my heart . . . in my soul . . . down where I cry
and there’s no one to comfort me
Let me know You as You were when You lived here
Let’s be friends
Let’s be family”
~

And does the story end?
Or does it truly begin?
For the children will find Me
Will know Me
Will invite Me to be their All in All
Family ~ Friend
and we will walk and talk
and be all that I hoped

I’m coming, kids
Call out My Name
I’m here!

JESUS THE CHRIST