Listen

[Spoken Word: Becky Harding]
What does it mean to listen?
I mean, really listen
With no distractions or divisions
Clear, careful decisions
Where the outcast is first to be considered
Listening to listen, not to respond
Words are now that listening with our eyes just does not correspond
See when the Rabbi gave the sermon he called us to look beyond
But as humans it seems to be a process that we love to prolong

The people around us
Whose presence we completely ignore, those we label as poor
Or people who just can't do this anymore
Or those who society has decided are just not worth fighting for
We are called to do more

To no longer be silent or hidden
This is an invitation to the Beatitude vision
To understand the message more accurately than sniper precision
To bring forth a world a misfit envisioned

Listening in harmony
Dealing boldly but respectfully to hostile authority
Standing up for the ones who are not the majority
Or bring faith, hope and love to the rest of humanity
Refuting the idea that it's all about prosperity
Because if we believe that the angle is success
Then we haven't grasped the message that we are blessed
Believe me, this upside down message is not a test
Because when it all goes wrong, well He's got us
Even then

See, when we want certainty He offers us Presence
Demonstrating love is the most powerful weapon
Encouraging us as the community to step in
Teaching us the wisest lesson

To lift our heads in the midst of our poverty and our brokenness
Our grieving, our ache for justice and wholeness
To never lose focus

To care for others by showing mercy
To go against the grain despite the controversy
To share a message with a guarantee
No need for microphone or marquee
No iPad or hands-free
No drum roll or melodies
Just a learning, listening community