I can’t help but see this as a captivity of the Church –

God has us fasting from church

Because we took it for granted

When we stood in church and chanted.

We took it as a joke,

And we didn’t live it; we only spoke:

To hide how we are spiritually broke.

“Only God can judge me,” say the judgment-worthy,

Now we realize we had been abusing his mercy.

Yet, in his grace, He has given us the best chance to reflect

And we can take this time to think and introspect.

We have been given a true retreat,

But as we look out on our streets,

And when we sit in our homes in our seats,

We feel that we are strangers in our own land.

So that when we stand in front of our own screens,

And someone asks us to “Sing us one of Zion’s songs”

We respond, “How shall we sing the LORD’s song in a foreign land?”[1]

And it just feels somewhat off or wrong.

We have learned the meaning of place,

To have a place for gathering, playing, and praying.

And now we know how it is a grace.

Yet if you think about it, all these things begin in the home,

And from there we shine them outward.

We have now diagnosed the syndrome

So now it’s time to focus inward.

It is interesting that all this has happened in Lent,

So we could practice praying and repent.

He has caused to give up so much more this Fast,

So we could see the contrast.

It’s time to redeem what made us human in the first place:

Take responsibility, build your families up, don’t try to escape.

Don’t be afraid because it’s time to own up,

If you care for your own, you won’t be runner-up.

Don’t be afraid because it’s time to own up

It’s time for us kids to be grown-ups.

And if we take the next week to truly fast,

Maybe we’ll get what we asked.

Maybe more.

[1] Psalm 137:3-4

For more of my Poems on the Virus, click here.