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“Tell Me Again” by Geoff Moore and the Distance

“Tell Me Again” by Geoff Moore and the Distance

A little boy sitting on a metal folding chair
In what appears to be a Sunday school room
He could see that shepherd boy, His sling up in the air
He could feel that giant hit with a boom
In that room I saw the Red Sea part
And two by two animals get in the ark
And Mrs. Keen gently would say
The God of the past is still God today

So tell me again of the old, old stories
Tell me again of the faithful who walked
In the lions’ den and the fiery furnace
Of Noah and rainbows and donkeys that talked
I don’t want to forget so please, tell me again

A young man sitting at a desk with a wooden chair
In what appears to be a high school class
He can see a battlefield there’s giants everywhere
Saying, “The Bible is a thing of the past”
In this new age you believe what you want to believe
‘Cause god is whatever you want it to be
And I can hear Mrs. Keen gently say
The God of the past is still God today

How the God of the ages
Turned history’s pages and saw my need
Tell me again of the shepherds and wise men
And the star that would lead them to the baby who was born
So that we could be born again

Tell me again of the Gospel story
Tell me again how the whole world was lost
How the Only Begotten with grace so amazing
Gave up His life on an old rugged cross
I don’t want to forget so please, tell me
Tell me again of the old, old stories
Tell me again of the faithful who walked
How the Only Begotten, with grace so amazing
Gave up His life on an old rugged cross
I don’t want to forget so please, tell me again
I dont’ want to forget, so please, tell me again

Written by Geoff Moore and Steve Chapman

Dear God, I’m I. A chapel at almost 10:00 on a Sunday evening. my wife is taking an hour to pray. I decided to take the time to be with her, although in another corner of the room and finish a book I’ve been reading. I finished the book so I started playing solitaire on the tablet and listening to my Christian playlist on shuffle (with headphones). This song was the first song up and I listened to it three or four times. It filled me with warmth. It made me remember back to sitting in Sunday school as an 8- and 9-year-old, listening to the stories. The flannel-graph was always fun (I just looked up flannel-graphs for sale—they still exist!).

I still love those stories, but I’m better at applying them to my life now. They were always great, but now I have more sympathy for the unfaithful Israelites who drove me crazy because they just kept repeating the same sins (sounds like me). I see Noah’s, Abraham’s, and Samson’s flaws. I understand the rise and fall of David and how the sin of Bathsheba/Uriah followed him to his death.

As I sit here and pray now, I pray that my children will remember these stories and times in Sunday school like I do, and mature into the stories and see the real beauty in how you’ve chosen to reveal yourself to us through them. Help them to learn about themselves through a mature look at these women and men who were wonderful and flawed. And how much you loved them. Help them to see you through these old stories of the faithful, and not so faithful.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

“We Are Waiting” by Geoff Moore and the Distance

18 Dec

“We Are Waiting” by Geoff Moore and the Distance

(Words and Music by Geoff Moore and Goef Barkley)

We are waiting, waiting
All of Your people anticipating
Come hear our plea, we are down on our knees, our knees
Oh come quickly Lord, You’re all that we need
Come find your people are waiting

From all across the earth our voices can be heard
A chorus of the faithful calling to the word
A hymn of invitation, our humble offering
Come find Your people are waiting

We are waiting, we are waiting
All of Your people anticipating
Come hear our plea, we are down on our knees
Oh come quickly Lord, You’re all that we need
Come find your people are waiting

With hands into the soil, and hearts toward the sky
We wait to hear Your call to draw us to Your side
But ’til that final day may You find us in the fields
Working with hearts that are waiting

We are waiting, we are waiting
All of Your people anticipating
Come hear our plea, we are down on our knees
Oh come quickly Lord, You’re all that we need
Come find your people are waiting

As a mother awaits her baby, all of creation is ready
For the trumpet to sound and the heavens unfold
We’ll rise from the ground to see You Lord
All of Your people anticipating
Come hear our plea, we are down on our knees

We are waiting, we are waiting
All of Your people anticipating
Come hear our plea, we are down on our knees
Come quickly Lord, You are all that we need
Come find your people are waiting

We are waiting, we are waiting
All of Your people anticipating
Come hear our plea, we are down on our knees
Oh come quickly Lord, You are all that we need
Come find your people are waiting

Dear God, there are different ways to look at and define “waiting.” I think this song is thinking second-coming/rapture kind of stuff. I have to tell you, I don’t really care about the rapture or the second coming. I tend to think it’s a distraction, although I suppose it’s possible that I use my attitude as a form of denial that I should have a sense of urgency about helping those around me know you or know you better.

But when I think of waiting, I think of some of my favorite Bible characters who were waiting. Hagar was waiting. The Israelites in captivity were waiting. David in exile was waiting. Jeremiah and the conquered Israelites were waiting. Mary, Joseph, Elizabeth and Zechariah were waiting for a Messiah before their angel visits, and then they were waiting for their new babies after the angel visits. Waiting for them to grow up. There are times when I wonder if you didn’t take Joseph, Elizabeth and Zechariah out of the way before John and Jesus were 30 so that they wouldn’t get in the way of your plan. Was Mary alone the only one you could trust to not thwart what you were doing?

Naomi didn’t know she was waiting, but she was waiting to see what you might make of her suffering. Joshua was waiting until you allowed them into the Promised Land. Paul in prison was waiting. John in exile was waiting.

So what kind of a waiter am I? Do I get discouraged? Do I get impatient? Do I try to force timing? Do I get angry with you for not giving me what I want now?

My favorite line in this song is the beginning of the second verse: With hands into the soil and hearts toward to sky. That is a great picture. While I am waiting, I have to be productive. That is where my joy comes from. My joy comes from loving you and loving others. Loving you is worship and spending time like this with you. Loving others is my work. Whether it’s directly my vocation, or it is my personal service to family, friends, and others, while I wait I might as well be productive.

Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, thank you for being with me while I wait. Thank you for not making me wait alone. Thank you that my life isn’t about the waiting, but it’s about the work you’ve given me in the soil. The more I focus on loving you and loving others, the faster the waiting will go and the more joy I’ll have along the way. Oh, my Triune God, teach me to be an effective wait-er.

I pray all of this through the name of my savior, Jesus,

Amen

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Posted by John D. Willome on December 18, 2023 in Hymns and Songs

Tags: "We Are Waiting", Geoff Moore, Geoff Moore and the Distance, Goef Barkley