[Spoken Word: Becky Harding]

What does it mean to listen?

I mean, really listen

With no distractions or divisions

Clear, careful decisions

Where the outcast is first to be considered

Listening to listen, not to respond

Words are now that listening with our eyes just does not correspond

See when the Rabbi gave the sermon he called us to look beyond

But as humans it seems to be a process that we love to prolong

The people around us

Whose presence we completely ignore, those we label as poor

Or people who just can't do this anymore

Or those who society has decided are just not worth fighting for

We are called to do more

To no longer be silent or hidden

This is an invitation to the Beatitude vision

To understand the message more accurately than sniper precision

To bring forth a world a misfit envisioned

Listening in harmony

Dealing boldly but respectfully to hostile authority

Standing up for the ones who are not the majority

Or bring faith, hope and love to the rest of humanity

Refuting the idea that it's all about prosperity

Because if we believe that the angle is success

Then we haven't grasped the message that we are blessed

Believe me, this upside down message is not a test

Because when it all goes wrong, well He's got us

Even then

See, when we want certainty He offers us Presence

Demonstrating love is the most powerful weapon

Encouraging us as the community to step in

Teaching us the wisest lesson

To lift our heads in the midst of our poverty and our brokenness

Our grieving, our ache for justice and wholeness

To never lose focus

To care for others by showing mercy

To go against the grain despite the controversy

To share a message with a guarantee

No need for microphone or marquee

No iPad or hands-free

No drum roll or melodies

Just a learning, listening community