Oct 07, 2008 22:56
We were the alien, we were the outcast
Captive in Egypt, our parents were slaves
We knew the anguish, and then the deliverance
Freed by our Maker, whose mighty hand saves!
Different in practice and patterns of loving
Partnered in ways that seem strange to our own
These are the outcasts we bar from the table
Failing to witness the grace we've been shown
Women and others our labels belittle
People whose bodies bare limits of skill
These are the outcasts whose gifts we discourage
Closing our hearts to God's open-armed will
Who is the alien? Who is the outcast?
Who is the hungry one barred from the feast?
Who is the widow, the slave, and the orphan?
These are our neighbors, the last and the least.
Christ is the outcast who calls to the table
Stretching his arms from the cross to enfold
Sisters and brothers, alike in God’s image
Breaking his body to make us all whole