Ordinary People

ORDINARY PEOPLE


WE ARE ORDINARY PEOPLE
CAUGHT UP IN EXTRAORDINARY EVENTS
EVENTS FOR WHICH WE ARE ILL PREPARED
EVENTS WHICH OFTEN OVERWHELMED US
AND WE BEHAVE POORLY

BUT THIS IS WHERE GOD CHOOSES TO MEET HIS PEOPLE
THIS IS WHAT GIVES JESUS HIS UNIQUE STATURE
FOR BEING HUMAN
HE KNEW WHAT IT MEANT TO BE TOUCHED BY LIFE
WHEN IT GOES TO ASHES
WHEN THINGS GO WRONG

NO ROOM FOR A PREGNANT WOMAN
CHASED BY SOLDIERS OUT TO KILL BABIES
THE LONG ORDINARY YEARS
OF TRYING TO SUPPORT HIS MOTHER
GAINING THE RESPECT OF HIS NEIGHBORS
THEN LOSING IT
CHASED FROM HIS OWN HOMETOWN
HIS FAMILY THINKING HIM CRAZY
TRYING TO MAKE A KINGDOM OF SOULS
THEY WOULD MAKE HIM KING OF THE LAND
TRYING TO TEACH HIS SIMPLE MESSAGE TO HIS FOLLOWERS
THEY KEPT MISUNDERSTANDING

BUT WHAT HE COULD DO
WHEN EVERYTHING ELSE WOULDN'T WORK
HE COULD WORK A PIECE OF WOOD
HE MADE FARM IMPLEMENTS
AND HE COULD BRAG
THAT HIS YOKES WERE EASY
THEY WOULDN'T RUB THE ANIMAL RAW
THAT HIS YOKES WERE EASY
HE COULD MAKE THEIR BURDENS LIGHT
IF ONLY HE THOUGHT
I COULD SHAPE MEN AS I SHAPE WOOD
WOOD HAS ALWAYS BEEN MY FRIEND

MY PEOPLE MY PEOPLE
GIVEN TO ME BY MY FATHER
GIVEN TO ME TO BE SAVED
HOW I HUNGER FOR YOUR LOVE
IMPERFECT AS IT IS
HOW I HUNGER FOR YOUR LOVE

YOU ARE THE ALPHA AND OMEGA OF MY LOVE
BEGINNING AND END
ORDINARY LETTERS
GIVEN MYSTICAL MEANING
AS ALL MY PEOPLE
ALL MY ORDINARY PEOPLE
ARE RAISED TO A MYSTICAL LEVEL
BY MY DEATH
A DEATH THEY OFTEN DO NOT VALUE
NOR WILL THEY VALUE THEIR EXALTED NATURE
AND YET I LOVE THEM WHERE THEY ARE
AS I LABOR TO MAKE THEIR ROUGH WAYS PLAIN
THEIR CROOKED WAYS STRAIGHT
AS I POUR MYSELF OUT
TO FILL THEIR VALLEYS UP WITH ME

O THAT I COULD SHAPE THEM AS I SHAPE WOOD
WOOD HAS ALWAYS BEEN MY FRIEND

THE WIND MUST HAVE SHIFTED
FOR SUDDENLY
I FELT A CHILL

FRANK A VOLLMER