It was a slaughter
all those of an age
all under two years old
put to death
to assuage the fears of the king
to rest his troubled mind
to give him peace
from a future foretold in scripture
for the people of the book
the nation of covenant
the people of the word
He was ready
to follow the model of Pharaoh
and kill the children
to save him from the king
born in the manger
For he couldn’t have a new king
a king of the prophesy,
not on his watch, in his time
He who was a pawn, a marionette, a puppet
a pawn of Rome, holding power
from afar, not by the grace, the covenant
the legacy, progeny of David,
the rightful line, as promised by God,
anointed by the prophets
A new king, emergent, fulfilling the law
the prophets, terrifying for the blasphemers,
the imposters, the usurpers
of the ordained rulers
of the covenant people
How far he would go
to subjugate his people
for a little longer in power
Second stanza added January 12, 2008
December 31, 2007
Matthew 2:13-23
based on sermon,
“Homecoming”, by
the Reverend Lori Eldredge,
Wesley United Methodist Church,
Concord, NH, 12/30/07
and Exodus 1:8-22
(Raymond A. Foss)
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