My Father's House

The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. He told those who were selling the doves, "Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father's house a marketplace!" His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for your house will consume me." The Jews then said to him, "What sign can you show us for doing this?" Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." The Jews then said, "This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?" But he was speaking of the temple of his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken. John 2:13-22

My Father's House

My Father's house is as wide as the sea

and deeper than her hidden  cobalt depths 

there is room for all and all imagined generations

to sing our sacred songs of worship in this holy place.

My Father's house is generous and broad

only humans divide and set others out

only humans fear what God had made well

only humans take for granted all their blessings.

We break the backs of the poor and sweet

we buy and sell what we have been freely given

we take forgiveness and hoard it from others

and raise the ire of of loving incarnate Savior.

My Father's house will never perish

no matter how small men control and wrangle

how vain women  toy with others' hearts

My Father's house will see your destruction and rise again.

So enter sweetly your poor shunned neglected ones

know it well that this is your rightful home

there is a place set for you this night and ever

the selfish and cruel can never corrupt this love.