11.24.09
yahweh.. and the city
Take these shoes
Click clacking down some dead end street
Take these shoes
And make them fit
Take this shirt
Polyester white trash made in nowhere
Take this shirt
And make it clean, clean
Take this soul
Stranded in some skin and bones
Take this soul
And make it sing
Yahweh, Yahweh
Always pain before a child is born
Yahweh, Yahweh
Still I’m waiting for the dawn
Take these hands
Teach them what to carry
Take these hands
Don’t make a fist no
Take this mouth
So quick to criticize
Take this mouth
Give it a kiss
Yahweh, Yahweh
Always pain before a child is born
Yahweh, Yahweh
Still I’m waiting for the dawn
Still waiting for the dawn, the sun is coming up
The sun is coming up on the ocean
His love is like a drop in the ocean
His love is like a drop in the ocean
Yahweh, Yahweh
Always pain before a child is born
Yahweh, tell me now
Why the dark before the dawn?
Take this city
A city should be shining on a hill
Take this city
If it be your will
What no man can own, no man can take
Take this heart
Take this heart
Take this heart
And make it pray
Lately I am hearing “the city” everywhere I go. So when I was listening to U2 this morning, and I came to the last song on the CD.. there it was again.
“Take this city.. it should be shining on a hill.” That’s the heart of the Lord.. that we work at making the places we live places of shalom — places where people can experience a foretaste of the coming kingdom.
And of course, no one will experience a foretaste of the kingdom apart from the transformation of our hearts.. it begins with us. .. a point clearly made in the song.
I did some bumping around YouTube, thinking it likely that someone had done some work at putting YAHWEH into a useful format for reflecting on the needs in our cities. I found this one…Â And while THIS ONE is not built on the YAHWEH song, it’s an interesting example of how their music is being used in churches around the world..
Lord, open the ears and eyes of your people .. to your heart for the places we dwell in…
