This Drama Earth

 

Monday Evening, December 27, 1999

The saga starts, the stage is set

The lights turned way down low

The seats are filled from every realm

So all may see the show

Angelic hoards from realms unseen

With fix-ed gazes stare

And wait with bated breath to learn

Of untold mysteries there

This drama earth, this spinning orb

This dark terrestrial ball

Despite how real it may appear

Is just the curtain call

For all you see, and feel, and touch

Is only just a vapor

Eternal things they lurk unseen

So join us on our caper

Just take a peak beneath the lid

Of this life’s thin veneer

And find out why you are alive

If you have ears to hear

This Epic tale I share with you

Perhaps you’ve heard it told?

About a King in Distant lands

And glories from of old

There was a conflict in that land

The Kingdom tossed and torn

An evil prince reared up his head

And all the subjects mourned

This evil prince—he killed and cursed

Opposing all who loved

And loving was the natural course

Of living there above.

The King jumped quickly to their aid

Angelic armies fought

The prince was cast out of the realm

And with him those he’d taught

This made the King think long and hard

Deciding what was best

Should He just kill the banished prince

Along with all the rest?

A gleam now sparkled in His eye

A plan began to brew

The realm must know His cause was just

And fair, and right, and true

The prince is twisted in his ways

Despite how good a speaker

His cause is destined to decay

Not just because he’s weaker

A love of self, a path of hate

A road of greed and pride

Are wrong no matter who it is

That clings to them inside

The Noble King, His ways are Pure

And lovely to behold

His Power’s not the reason

That His Image is the mold

His ways are right because they Are

There’s just not any doubt

But He wants His own to understand

And not just yield to clout

And so at last He built a stage

A world of space and time

To demonstrate to realms unseen

The reason to His rhyme

And for the unseen realms to see

The Monarch’s way was best

This Drama Earth, a sphere of mud

The stage for this grand test

It all began one sunny day

In Eden’s garden fair

While stalking in the cool of day

The serpent laid his snare

And so the play was underway

The game afoot indeed

And many hence would curse that day

The dragon killed our seed

From that day forth, the sons of men

Dripped poison from their veins

Yes ere from birth up to the grave

Sin firmly held the reigns

If our new play had ended there

A tragedy t’would be

But that was just the starting act

As all who watched would see

The next two thousand years of skits

Were filled with strife and shame

As Adam’s sons, their sins full-grown

Had none to ease their blame

And so a nation was carved out

A man with faith was found

He fixed his eyes on things unseen

And saw beyond earth’s ground

He withheld nothing from his King

Not land or wealth or son

And on his painful testing day

A victory he won

His tiny band of scattered tents

Windblown by desert sand

Would one day be a people great

A nation proud and grand

And so was born a tribe of men

Though small now might they be

Would one day number as the stars

Or sand grains by the sea

But several hundred year of scenes

Would pass before we knew

If anything would come of them

This tiny scattered few

They nearly starved to death one year

A famine they did flee

Protected by an unseen hand

Through Joseph’s slavery

But down in Egypt’s land they grew

Their numbers on the rise

Too many now to be ignored

Should they your land apprise

And so at last on Jordan’s banks

They finally took their stand

And said farewell to Egypt’s leeks

And conquered Canaan’s land

Their victories we must condense

For time will not endure

To tell of all the mighty deeds

Their unseen King procured

Despite the many happy feats

The battles won at war

There still remained a sickness deep

A darkness at their core

The evil prince roamed near and far

Still seeking to devour

He loved to see men cringe with fear

He loved to see them cower

Oh when, Oh how, Oh what indeed

Oh who could heal their hearts?

And mend them in their broken souls

And wash their dirty parts

The law so thorough, and so grand

The Holy Truth did tell

Served only as a harsh remind

Of just how far they’d fell

For while it showed the path of right

And told of evil’s spell

It could not help them make “the choice”

So things did not go well

They needed more than words could give

And more than mind could hold

They needed new and better hearts

Made from a better mold

And finally, with that made clear

The King pulled from His sleeve

A plot He hid there before time

A plan you won’t believe

Upon a dusty road one night

Inside a dingy stable

A virgin girl brought forth a child

The Spirit made her able

Oh Mystery of Life Divine

A human frame—the shell

The Word ALIVE, God’s thought made flesh

Sent tremors all through hell

For now at last earth’s cause did have

A Worthy Son of Man

To finally take that snake to task

Destroy his every plan

This child, no ordinary boy

As time would sure reveal

He’d crush that serpent’s head at last

Though cost it would His heel

He paved the way for Adam’s sons

To find their birthright lost

And though ‘twas death we all deserved

He chose to pay that cost

For those brief years spent on our stage

For those few shining days

He showed us more than words can tell

We marveled at His ways

For every single choice He made

Was made without regard

Of any sort of private gain

Or if the choice be hard

His cross He took up every day

No matter who might see

In large but also tiny ways

For them and you and me

And though at last upon that tree

He died that we might live

‘Twas daily death that modeled best

That life is lived to give

And in His last Heroic deed

Tossed caution to the wind

And paved the way with His own blood

To make us free from sin

And though that gift for all was giv’n

Not all give due regard

For most crave pleasure more than love

Because their hearts are hard

And so despite the high price paid

Despite the victory won

Men live in shackles to this day

Ignoring God’s own Son

Oh let that not be said of you

In fate’s last epitaph

Please bow your knee, accept His gift

Find pardon from His wrath

For everyone that does not choose

To leave behind dark ways

Will find that when their act is done

They’ve wasted all their days

Oh tragedy of tragedies

No mind can comprehend

The scope of loss, so high a cost

No time to make amend

Oh please dear friend, don’t spurn His love

And cling to petty pride

Nor let affairs of earth distract

And keep you from His side

You’ll hate yourself a billion years

If you this choice don’t make

For clinging to your vain pursuits

And shallow life so fake

For who would trade immortal life

With meaning rich and deep

For temporal trinkets from this play

Which you don’t get to keep

So finally with one last plea

Before you breathe your last

Your life slips by like hourglass sand

You won’t believe how fast

Turn to the Maker of your soul

With your heart open wide

Repent of all the junk you’ve done

Let Jesus move inside

He wants to be your lifelong Friend

But He won’t twist your arm

You must SEE through this skit you’re in

The dragon means you harm

If he can keep you lulled to sleep

Content with status quo

You’ll wait too late to bow your knee

The Truth you’ll never know

Awake in haste while time permits

Don’t let the sun go down

Beg Him RIGHT NOW to help you see

The Truth that can be found

Now catch your breath and stretch a bit

This tale is far from done

The grandest scenes are yet to be

This story’s just begun

I see now by your startled look

I’ve caught you by surprise

Your wide eyes stare, your mouth agape

Your pulse now on the rise

For most have heard this saga oft

The story’s widely spread

But few indeed have glimpsed a peek

Of scenes that lie ahead

So wipe away your old ideas

Old notions set aside

And ponder now, with angel hosts

The Mystery of the Bride

For we weren’t saved from death and hell

To occupy a pew

Or hear grand speeches once a week

Among the “faithful” few

This old religion of our day

Was not part of His plan

T’was handed down in habit rote

Traditions made from man

For steeples, preachers, sermons too

Were not in His intention

Evolved they did from lack of Him

Are only man’s invention

We have not time, the list too long

To show how wide they’ve spread

Or teach you how they came to be

So lifeless and so dead

Just take a peak inside the book

Upon your dusty shelves

You will not find them in His Word

No more than Santa’s elves

Expedients they’re often called

A word to justify

Our fear to let go of the mold

Despite how many die

For we weren’t born anew inside

To be event attenders

All mixed inside a leavened batch

Surrounded by pretenders

No! Not a chance, we will not rest

Content with life so low

Yes fight we will, with every breath

Despite how few will go

Thy Kingdom Come! Thy Will be DONE!

Is still the battle cry

For all those not content with words

Pretense to pacify

Oh, please, Dear King, look down on us

With Mercy on our plight

And rouse Yourself, please one more time

And lead us in the fight

This whole event was Your idea

‘Twas You that made this stage

To show the wisdom of Your plan

That culminates this age

And so we beg and we implore

Let scales drop from our eyes

And steal the thunder of false prince

Behind religious guise

Your lambs are scattered, tossed and torn

And worn from all the years

Of milk-toast food from hirelings sly

Whose words don’t heal our fears

So launch anew Your plan so pure

In this our barren land

And give again Your healing balm

And lead us by Your hand

Your Church is lofty by intent

The price You paid Your Blood

Pour out Your Glory once again

And drown us in a flood

Make desert lands to bloom once more

Make oceans from this stream

Please wipe away our dismal past

Let us fulfill Your Dream!

Earth’s valley once so full of bones

Ezekiel saw that day

Could be an Army brave and Strong

With YOU to lead the way

I see a Nation, brothers all

A City on a hill

Who’ll give their all to see Your House

Consumed with Father’s Zeal

Who’ll live like You did every day

In every thing they do

With all their heart, soul, mind, and strength

With many or with few

The hand not saying of the eye

I’ll see you here next week

I’ll sit right by you on this pew

Though rarely do we speak

No EVERY day they live to seek

The Kingdom buried deep

Inside the heart of every saint

Who gave his soul to keep

With Love and Light they burrow deep

And penetrate each one

And fight with sweat and tears and blood

Conforming to the Son

And arm in arm they take their stand

To march against hell’s gates

With Warrior’s hearts and Prophet’s eyes

They conquer pride and hate

No more are they just on their own

An isolated soul

But woven now with cords of love

A part of one large whole

Yes members now, not of a club

Or weekly singing crew

But melted in to daily lives

And one loaf through and through

The dragon knows he has no hope

‘Gainst those who build God’s way

Who cut him off at every turn

And give his voice no sway

They stand apart from common men

Not lured by reindeer games

Unlike their kin who build with straw

Their work endures the flames

Not swayed by men, with shallow cords

Like puppets on a string

Earth’s pattern’s scorned, and all its lies

They live to serve the King

If none of this has raised your pulse

And fanned your soul with flame

If you like life the way it is

And want to sidestep blame

Then be a “prop,” the choice is yours

A plant upon life’s stage

You’ll get your due when time is done

But you won’t like the wage

You’ll forfeit more than you can dream

It’s why this earth was made

And you’ll regret when skit is done

The shallow role you’ve played

The car, the house, your little job

It all can seem so real

But isn’t worth your mortal soul

Despite how it may feel

Oh, stir that longing deep within

Oh, wake up from your slumber

Redeem your life while there’s still time

Before He calls your number

His Kingdom will go forth in Power

In those who guard His seed

And water it with tears and prayer

And fertilize with deed

Who turn their tear-stained faces up

And look upon His Glory

With faith renewed and courage strong

They’ll be part of this story

For this is not a fable made

To tickle tiny minds

Or simply words to toss about

And still keep living blind

No, this is meant to be a door

A way to get you through

A window that leads off the stage

To live with Heaven’s view

So off your chair, get on your knees

And step behind the curtain

There’s more to life than meets the eye

Of that you can be certain

And ask your King in realms unseen

With angels full attention

To help you find His Kingdom’s call

And enter His dimension

The road not easy and not wide

The world will not applaud

If you decide to follow Him

And leave behind the fraud

The World will heap abuse on you

To make you feel a fool

And mock your choice to die to self

And let your new King rule

But if you have the eyes to see

You’ll not regard their noise

They live life like a shallow game

Distracted with their toys

No you’ll not envy, you’ll not want

The shallow earthlings path

His petty choices don’t add up

But he can’t do the math

He doesn’t see from Heaven’s view

But you’ve a window seat

To firmly face this life with poise

No matter what you meet

In just a few brief scenes from now

The crew will clean this stage

And all the things that men held dear

Will perish with this age

So make the choice to follow Him

And leave behind sin’s ways

We’ve got a feast we must attend

To last through endless days

Hoorah! Hooray! The play is done

The evil prince cast out

The wedding party’s starting soon

The trumpet sound will shout

We long, we ache, we cannot wait

We hasten final day

But first there is much work to do

There is no time for play

For first the Bride must be prepared

As John’s last note made mention

So give yourself no rest my friend

Give Her your full attention

We must oppose the substitute

Religion will not do

And everyone that names His Name

Has got to follow through

So get up off religion’s bench

And get INSIDE your brother

And fight to help ALL find the Lord

He’s hid within each other

Confess your sin, lay down your life

And help your brother see

The blind spots that we all do have

That’s HOW we’ll all be free

For all who have been born anew

Have all been giv’n a part

A piece of Jesus planted deep

To serve your brother’s heart

If you love Jesus like you say

Then find out where! You must!

He has dispersed the parts of Him

In redeemed men of dust

For yes! You need the body’s gifts

Much more than you might know

The treasure hid in pots of clay

His way for you to grow

You’re not complete all by yourself

In case you just can’t tell

An eye without a foot or hand

Does not survive so well

And while you may have done some good

With tiny fruit to show

‘Twill multiply one thousand times

If melted in His dough

And with that good that came to mind

If honest, some decay

For we weren’t made to walk alone

Upon the narrow way

You owe it to your children dear

You owe it to your spouse

You even owe it to yourself

To be built in God’s House

You might not find in your small town

Those hungry for what’s true

Who aren’t content to “go to church”

But daily be with you

Who want to see Him lifted High

Not merely sung about

Who’ll give their lives to see His Dream

And help us end our drought

So if you’ve looked real hard to find

True Saints and come up dry

You might just need to up and move

And bid your town goodbye

For where we live and where we work

We do it for a reason

Perhaps the pay, or relatives

Or changes in the season

Now that’s no way for us to live

If sons of God we’ll be

Just driven like the common man

And steered so shallowly

Now do not think that my intent

Is geared to make you leave

You very well should just stay put

Though it might make you grieve

I only say, whate’re you do

You have the highest goal

For job, sunshine, or relatives

Aren’t cause to lose your soul

For every single thing we do

And where we live included

Is laid down at the feet of Him

And nothing is excluded

Seek first the Kingdom every day

This simple rule of thumb

Will help you hear the still small Voice

And know where it came from

Now I’m afraid I must go soon

At last bid you adieu

I hope you’ll ponder what we’ve said

And let the light sift you

For if you don’t on bended knee

Decide what path you’ll choose

You’ll choose the wrong one by default

With oh, so much to lose

The dragon knows what you’ve just heard

He wants to calm you down

And send his birds to steal the seed

We’ve lain upon your ground

So right away, without delay

Just take a spade in hand

And plunge it deep into your heart

Turn up the fallowed land

And take these seeds that were just sown

And press them deeply in

Then cover back with softened flesh

Don’t let the serpent win

He only means to do you harm

And lull you back to sleep

And sing to you his lullaby

While all the angels weep

Oh please dear friend, oh please, oh please

Don’t let this day pass by

Until you’ve spoken to the King

Who watches from on high

And if you’ll seek with all your heart

He promised that you could

Find life with Him that knows no end

I really wish you would

Goodbye dear friend, I may not know

Perhaps we’ve never met

I hope that when acquaintance comes

There is no sad regret

And those who take to heart this rhyme

Though we may never meet

I’ll see you when this play is done

We’ll worship at His feet

12/27/1999