The title does not mean
This is really so
But it appears to me
This is where some people go.
But get to choose what?
That’s a pertinent question,
By this I mean
The contents of their religion.
Maybe we can call it
The carry-over from the Old,
If it fits our agenda
Then, that is our goal.
From the Old Testament
To the New Testament
And some even express,
The Old is no not relevant.
That is a sad mistake
For anyone to make,
I once held that position
But it’s no longer my take.
There are things in the old
That are no longer required,
Jesus fulfilled them
The moment he expired.
Thereafter,
When he executed his will,
He told us what was required
And that reading stands still.
Most are au fait
With the required fundamentals
But many are also
An opportunistic people.
Then they are some
That are steeped in tradition,
They dare not release members
To their own volition.
You can call it enslavement
If you so desire
But tradition says do
What the Word doesn’t require.
The Pharisees enforced
Over six hundred laws
And boasted about keeping them-
Spare me the applause.
They pushed the letter
Christ introduced the spirit,
The latter spoke to transformation
The former had little merit.
One from a stony heart
That showed no mercy,
The other out of a pure conscience
Displaying liberty.
The former, regarding giving,
Is a ritual that is enforced,
The latter, a joyous commitment
As a matter of course.
I mean cheerful giving
Knowing we can’t out give God
And not the kind we show off
Hoping someone will applaud.
A sabbath rest in Christ
That is truly a rest,
That is continuously observed
Even when working our hardest.
Not a specific day
Be it Saturday or Sunday,
For those that we accused
We behave in the same way.
But doing good for our friends
And our enemies too,
Once we see the need
And it it’s within our purview.
Bearing one another’s burdens
Thus, fulfilling the Law of Christ,
Offering ourselves to him
As a living sacrifice.
We get to choose
What is honest and pure,
Not a gamut of rituals that suits us
And the rest ignore.
Stewart Russell © June 2020.
