Dust to Glory: A Ghetto Love Story

A king without a castle born to an unwed mother
All the while, rumors circulate that he was fathered by another
Homeless for a while, then raised in the ghetto
Along side the hoodlums, riff-raff, rebels and winos
But He went to synagogue
Because that's how his mom and his step-dad raised him
He'd grow up to be famous
But who really knew that then?
Coming up poor ain't a means to an end
It's hated, it's shameful and often equated with sin

But not Him…

He left the block for the wilderness to fulfill the call in His life:

“Hey, why don't you slow down? Take it easy…maybe even get you a wife.
Word is your real father, man, is crazy rich.
You'd never have to work a day in your life if he broke you off a pinch.
But if not him, come with me…I got a grip you can hold.
You can have anything you want. I got it under control.”

“Hell, No.”

Home is where the heart is
So the hood was His home
And used His life to let the hood know
That they were never alone
He became the people's champion
So they gathered around Him
Politicians start to panic
While His family starts to clown Him

Pharisees start hatin'
And they call Him a “Birther” :

“This dude is sayin' he's from heaven
But he ain't nothin' but an earthling.
Everybody here knows him from that Nazareth block
No good can come from that place, they're some real bad stock.”

But He didn't stop
So now they wanna stop Him
His friends start to worry
That somebody's gonna pop Him
Cool by Him
Because He already knew the risk
His death was the outcome
For which he sought to exist:

“Don't be scared, homies…
They're comin' to get me
But I'm takin' all the heat
Because that's why the Father has sent me
Dying for the lost
So that they could be found
So that the end of your life won't be the end
But a crown of life eternal
Given because you've be down since the beginning
And you'll carry on ‘til the finish
Because my Father gives you permission
And don't begin to think you chose this life for a second
I chose you first so now we're forever connected
Blessed be the one who hears the words that I speak
And doesn't shrink away from danger in the face of the Beast
Because the Devil is a lion
He desires to eat you
He can feast all he wants
But He can never defeat you.”

So whatever happens below
Just remember He's above it
So when you see the storms coming
Don't worry…
Just love it

It was death by love
Love in humiliation
Stepped out of eternity
To become the promised seed of the nations
Subjecting Himself to the same perils and temptations as “we”
Because He cares for little men in really tall trees
And for prostitutes on the track who believe the lie that they're stuck
And for the addicts who think they've had and they're about to give up

Listen to what comes after…
He is still speaking
So put one ear to the floor and the other to the rafters
Feel the earth move and know for certain
If He ceased to speak, it won't happen
In His hands, it is stable
No one can ever knock Him off course
Even when the kingdom of Heaven suffers violence
And the violent take it by force

©2012 Constant Gardener Ink