Forged In Fire Poem by James Tipp

It began in flame and turmoil
God’s outpouring of the Spirit
Freely given to young and old
Male and Female Greek and Jew
No one left out the gifting had begun
Transparent and egalitarian the ecclesia.
A watchword of love and humility
Of sacrifice and service to all.
So how did we get here?
How are we so blind to our past?
Even the world in which we live
Describes it’s conditions as meritocracy
Those with the gifts and talents to shine.
Whilst hovering spectre shaped darkness
Denies this influence upon itself.
Little is transparent the past all to present
Hierarchy replaces egalitarianism
Opaqueness instead of transparency
Out of step with our beginnings
Unbolted from the social norms
We struggle, marginalized, irrelevant
Seek to become a mission church
Whilst carry the baggage of yesterday
Weighed down the people stumble
On the stones of their recent past
On the structures of yesterday.