"Everything Must Change From Now On"

This is a pre-emptive post about my second attempt to write a song for communal singing where what it says inspires or challenges my spirituality and sense of mission and allows me to enter into worship just disturbed enough to be open to being transformed to be more like what I'm joining in singing. There are some magic tunes out there and some aweful dross!!
I feel very vulnerable opening myself up to the same criticism [especially because if something can be said in three words I'll take eleven]. Whether in the end others find this song meaningful or worthwhile is another matter BUT maybe someone will be able to take and use it in their setting.

For mp3, lyrics and tune of my first effort "Stories of Hope" go to www.nsw.uca.org.au/boe/youthunit and follow the prompts!!
It's story is here in an earlier post!

This second song comes out of the framing story of my faith journey in recent years and is an attempt to find words that will help me talk about this in coming months!! I see God as calling us to join God's mission in the world and to become builder of communities and a world revolving the way God intended it to be. The biggest example of this comes from examining the life, teaching and example of Jesus to see how we might be called to respond. To do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God, to bring the God colours and flavours into our world, to share in authentic relationships and to work at showing the love of God to others!!
In this framework I see Jesus as the ultimate HOPE and someone who shows us the reliability all God's claims!! Jesus stands in solidarity with us as someone who has experienced human life, has stood up for the truth and gave his life for that truth!!

Encountering this story, person, relationship and reality leads me to agree with Brian McLaren's latest book that "Everything Must Change From Now On" Not out of guilt but love, not because we must but because we can!

There's more to the story but that will come when the tune is written and the lyrics finalised [and I'll give credit and explain all that when it comes together]
but here's the next to last draft..... it's a work in progress

"Everything Must Change From Now On"
We are God's people on a journey
As we converge here now
One voice uniting us in action
As the grace and love of Christ bring on the changes we hope to see

We can be God's people called to live another way
Healing hurts and growing hopes, God's mission for our lives
Don't you hear the call, the message God is sending
Everything must change from now on

We work at building from God's values
And seek to understand
There's a lot of freedom
To create a world where character is the measure that we need x 2

We can be God's people called to live another way
Healing hurts and growing hopes, God's mission for our lives
Don't you hear the call, the message God is sending
Everything must change from now on x 2

And hope begins when justice gets a chance
So don't complain if nothing ever stays the same

We can be God's people called to live another way
Healing hurts and growing hopes, God's mission for our lives
Don't you hear the call, the message God is sending
Everything must change from now on x 3