"JOHN LEWIS WAS NOT JESUS, BUT...."

“JOHN LEWIS WAS NOT JESUS, BUT…..”    

John Lewis was not Jesus, but…..

John Lewis was not Jesus

But it’s not hard to imagine

It seems true

John Lewis standing in the land of the dead,

John Lewis standing in the belly of the beast

In the heart of the Deep South (it is always with us)

Calling out those of us dead in racism,

Calling out to us

            What is your name?

Like the man in the tombs,

We call out:  Racism!

We call out:  White Supremacy!

It has become our name.

John Lewis was not Jesus, but….

We can imagine him

            Indeed

We experienced him

We heard him

Telling us that we had a different name,

Telling us we had a different definition:

            Child of God

That we could be clothed

In right understanding of ourselves and others

John Lewis was not Jesus, but……

The calling out, the healing was

            Costly

Bearing that cost in body and soul,

Beaten on the bus,

     Beaten on the bridge,

Arrested again and again.

People saw Jesus heal the man

They were afraid, not hopeful

They were afraid

Get outta here, they told Jesus

No healing allowed here – too much cost

John Lewis was not Jesus, but…..

He kept on calling, kept on marching, kept on loving,

The one who was healed wanted to leave,

Wanted to go with Jesus, wanted to get away

Jesus sent him back

Jesus sent him back

To the same people who feared him, who chained him,

Go back and tell people

John Lewis was not Jesus, but…..

He tells us to go back,

Go back to Mississippi,

Go back to Minneapolis,

Go back to Atlanta

Go back to Glynn County (and not to see Sidney Lanier)

Go back and tell

Go back and tell of a new vision,

Go back and call for justice

            Call for equity, call for love

Go back and tell what God has done for you

Go back and tell the truth.

John Lewis was not Jesus, but…..