Emmanuel, Part II
So this song is harder for me to post and requires a bit more explanation. It draws from the second half of the Beatitudes in the gospel according to Luke where Jesus gives not just the "Blessed be" but also the "Woe" (Luke 6:24-26). Jesus is saying that in his kingdom everything will be different. The poor will be rich and the rich will be poor. The cast out will be brought in and those who are now accepted will be cast out. The hungry will be satisfied and the fat will waste away. But the other scary thing about this is that the woes in this sermon are for the religious. He is warning the Pharisees and the Sadducees, the sanhedrin, the chief priests. This song was originally written for Palm Sunday in 2012. Its seed was the image of the children who were calling out to Jesus, "Save us!", as he rode into Jerusalem. They were begging for relief from the rule of the Romans who taxed and raped and split apart families. And Jesus' silent answer to them was, "No. Not yet.". He instead came to save them from Satan and from their sin so that they would be safe no matter what the Romans did. In fact he also wanted to save them from the righteous reformers (the Pharisees) as well. He wanted them to have a relationship with God as their Father. Not just a reciprocal business transaction. He wanted to give them a relationship of love, not one driven by fear or threat. He was going to save them from hypocrisy and adopt them into his family. He was going to die for them, rise for them, reign for them, intercede for them, prepare a place for them and then come again to deal, once and for all, with the Romans and the Pharisees.
And he is coming back.
He is not going to leave the abusers in this world forever unchecked. And when he comes, Emmanuel - God with us, the whole mechanism of the world with its fear and danger, with its molesting and trickery, with its false prophets and self-righteous, he is going to bring the whole thing down in judgement into a chest high river of blood until all the earth is still and the new heavens and the new earth come to their fruition with the beautification of all things in Christ. And those little children crying "Save us!" will be shouting "Hallelujah!"
And there will be peace forever.
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Emmanuel, Part II (listen/download) (chord chart)
He comes to raise the meek and make them reign, While the arrogant drown in a river of their own blood. He comes to set the lowly on their thrones, While the proud strewn out naked in the dust.
He comes to bring the whole machine to an end, To suddenly spill the over-brimming glass, With the cries of his children still ringing in his ears, He turns their foes to ash. The hour of favor is closing, soon breaks the day of wrath.
He comes to make Peace a city where his people dwell, While bloodthirsty scoffers are eaten by their very own words. He comes to bring the orphans into his home, While the rich and fat and greedy lie covered with flies.
He comes to bring the whole machine to an end, To suddenly spill the over-brimming glass, With the cries of his children still ringing in his ears, He turns their foes to ash. The hour of favor is closing, soon breaks the day of wrath.
Today is the day the Christ Jesus awaits, Though his eyes never close over all the depraved. For a sentence has fallen on all he has made, Built for love but instead cannot help but to hate. Now this season of harvest is starting to fade, While the impartial arm of God’s judgment is raised, Hear His plea echo out into every place, “Come take my life for yours, turn to me, receive grace!”
He comes to wash the sinners with his blood, While the righteous in anguish are clawing at the walls outside. He gathers all his adopted in his arms, And throws their infected garments into the fire.
He comes to bring the whole machine to an end, To suddenly spill the over-brimming glass, With the cries of his children still ringing in his ears, He turns their foes to ash. The hour of favor is closing, soon breaks the day of wrath.