Lawyers in the House of God

Claustrophobic
Sitting in a hard pew
And a cross glowing
Above the baptismal
Praying it will penetrate
My skin which is now hard too

I wait
Through a simple sermon
And ancient hymns
And pronouns that reference
God as "him"

Sit and stand as one
But minds elsewhere
Repetitive music driving emotion
Hands driving through the ceiling
Harsh words driving fear

Surrounded by
Long faces, unworthy of the love of
God whose very nature is love
But God has trouble loving
Because they drink and smoke?
They come with baggage
Honestly and with humility

A man, robed in biblical language and culture
A role model to the masses
He knows what they must not do
And what they should do
Is exactly as himself

Watch and learn as he earns
A hundred thousand not feeding the hungry
Or caring for the orphans and widows

Yes, he knows
The people are not smart enough to read it for themselves
Jesus wanted lawyers in the house of God.