You Seduced Me, and I Let Myself Be Seduced

We've recently started preaching from the book of Jeremiah.  This is a poem I wrote some time ago - based, in part, on Jeremiah 20

You Seduced Me, and I Let Myself Be Seduced

I remember an angry and lonely boy
disappointed by his father who was too busy with the
needs of the congregation to understand
his son’s growing disaffection.
He respected his father’s work but hated the God who called him away.

“I believe you exist,” he said to that God, “but stay the hell out of my life.”
And he waited for the sky to fall or lightning to strike,
something to show that God was listening after all.
The boy was confused by God’s continued silence;
surely this blasphemy should have provoked God to notice him.

     Heal me, Go, and I’ll be healed
     save me and I’ll be saved
     crush me and I’ll be crushed
     lift me up and I’ll live
     just do something so I can know.

     Where is the miraculous?
     Where are the ravens to bring me bread?
     Where is the burning bush, the pillar of smoke?
     Where is the angel to stop the lion’s mouth for me?

And now some years later that angry lonely boy
has become a lot like his father, though he’s trying to not be too busy
with the needs of the congregation to notice the
special concerns of his own son.
He’s picked up his father’s work for the Father of us all.

“This life isn’t what I wanted” he sometimes says to God, “it wasn’t my idea.”
He feels surrounded by people who won’t listen;
dropped among jackals, and told to “feed my sheep.”
The word of God is not all honey in the mouth;
maybe this blasphemy will provoke God to notice him.