Disrespect

“I'd rather see it shot down then have your input, see?
It's not I'm disrespectful, that's not the view from me;
It's more the world's rotating around a central core,
We're tilted to the eastward – I wish you'd tilt some more.

“You ask what core is made of, it's really hard to say,
Just, ‘anything but Jesus – live any other way’.
Your talk of God as Father’s okay, and Spirit too,
But Jesus is a problem – so one I have with you.

“You see, with God as ‘Father’, he procreates and leaves;
Lets us get on with living, with little time on knees;
More habit or tradition, a comfy thought to choose;
But much beyond His caring – that's for the ones who lose.

“Same goes for God as ‘Spirit’– a warm and fuzzy thought –
More for the women's movement, and feministic thought.
But then, they don't persuade me to burn my bra and dance,
So live I do, and let them too – but no ants in my pants.

“As for my thoughts on Jesus – there's comfort in the crèche
We like such birthing stories – like Mary's and the rest;
But when you view him different – beyond a goodly guy
My eyes start glazing over, and roll back to the sky.

“Okay, he brought some leaven, and light, and salty words,
Which sparkle up our cultures – beyond that it's absurd –
To think He's something special – a wacko fantasy;
So, like I said, the core is, ‘quite anything but He’.

“The thing about religion, is how folks go berserk;
The church is full of people the world has labelled jerks;
They're really quite obsessive, and out to lunch today;
And act on Monday morning the hippocritic way.

“Not all, of course, there's nice ones, who quietly partake;
They live their lives quite subtle, and little fuss create;
We all have clubs and hobbies, a social place to meet –
Such folks in churchy places, find kindred souls to greet.

“The patron saint is Jesus – a figure on a cross
Now sanitized and gilded as bling (the rest is tossed);
Theology's archaic, the Bible's great for Court,
All other stuff's an option; their ‘wisdom’ does not work.

“So anything I'm running, would really stupid get
If input from your quarter accepted was, and yet –
You're welcome to locate here, survive on excess slack,
Until there's a recession, and then we'll want it back.

“Think what you like in private; be careful what you say;
If core for you is ‘Jesus’, and style of life, ‘The Way’–
I'd ask you to keep quiet, and speak of all things else
So we can walk together – with center core my ‘self’.”

Now that's a challenge for me, arriving on the scene
Of giver-finance culture, though grown up here I've been;
If I had gone to jungle from suburb life up north
I'd quite expect such message of baby Jesus' worth.

But all these folks are fellows with whom I grew up here
Then found I was quite different – ‘Third Culture Kid’ appeared –
So, more like up north living, then finding me as black
Dismissed as from some jungle – If think like that, go back’.

But I'm not from some jungle – blond hair and eyes of blue
My culture is unique, yes, but look at others – do –
Society is made up of cultures by the ton
So, thinking you're the center – a silly game – though fun.

No matter what our culture, that salt, and leaven, light,
Is message of our freedom, in God whose way is right;
We wandered from the center, the central core of life
Resulting in each dustup, and murder, chaos, strife.

It's not I disrespect you – more sorry for you feel
Your world is filled with tension, ‘conform with them or yield’;
Life's like that in my culture, at least I found it so –
Till Jesus' guys arrived here, and showed the way to go.

So really, there's two problems, as I converse with you:
‘The reason for the season’, and’ different culture’ too.
The fact we share a journey – in Canada we've grown –
Can obfuscate the difference, ’spite race that we both own.

For friendships crossing cultures are difficult when deep –
As each grates on the other when cultures' borders meet;
It's only when our center from other things gets changed,
That God dissolves the friction, and friendships we retain.

I feel like those apostles, first days, with Christ no more,
They in their culture living, with God as central core;
Before their global mission, (salt, light, and leaven take
To sparkle up our cultures, and God as center make) –

That is, we share the journey, once they went off elsewhere
And clashed with other cultures – we share our journey there –
Except I need not travel – I'm here, I've always been;
It's that our cultures differ – it's that part I've now seen.

So, ‘Jubilee’, from Jesus – His impact in my case –
Is different from his impact on cultures ’round these days.
He is God's way of getting God back as central core
’Round which the world is turning in each life, ever more.

I'm not surprised to hear it, (my input you don't wish)
For all its implications get served up in the dish.
What impact would emerge then within your culture fair
Is anybody's guess, but, my guess it won't compare –

For freedom is quite scary, but what a blast, I say,
When saved from messy lifestyles, it is a better way,
But better much I'm finding, my life has now become
As in my ‘self’ and the culture, God's life is central one.

Christ leads me in his footsteps, and speaks in ways I hear,
He makes my life much better, I venture on, less fear.
The allergy to others has lessened from my side
And in his loving presence I quietly reside.

It may appear to your view, I'm not that different from
The other folks now walking with you in daily round;
Perhaps it's you're comparing me with the good and true –
What happens when compared to the scoundrels circling you.

‘Freed from that road’ is my view, for I was headed there;
My life is graced with mercy, a guided way most fair;
You may not like my culture, relax – it's mine not yours –
But messed up I have been, thus, no Jesus – it's much worse.

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