Spoken word by the spiritual poet

This thought came to me through a very emotional dream approximately 19 years ago.  While asleep, I saw a sea of men marching at the dawn of the rising son to the holy calling of God to obey his commandments and love their community.  I cried throughout the entire writing which was completed within a matter of minutes.

“The men have come home”

Off in the horizon at the dawn of a new day there came a sound that flew on the crest of the wind.  It was a sound unlike any other I’d ever heard.  I saw as it were, a sea of men from the very young to the old, the sable, bronze, tawny, and olive colored complexion alike marching abreast in alliance as the rising sun gave strength to their stride.  Their voices were in symphony and the sound volume the air with the spirit of resurrection power, life, and jubilee as it reverberated within the temple of our souls.  This was a mass exodus of epic proportion with black men whose pathway had been paved by the Rock of Ages; the LORD of host is his name.  All the high places had been made low, the crooked path straight, and the rough places smooth to ensure the safe journey of our men on the road to home.

As they drew nearer, the words became audible as mothers, daughters, and grandchildren lined the boulevard that lead to the entrance of the little church in the heart of the community to receive our men.  A frail old woman, whose wrinkles intimated her time invested in the community, nudged her way into the line to capture the magic moment.  When she beheld the harvest of men, overwhelmed with joy, she dropped her cane and raised her hand with a clenched fist as it trembled convulsing while shouting from the depths of her soul with power and might, “Glory, glory, glory to the Lord God Almighty!”  Her body slumped over in a tremor and she broke down in tears exulting in her God as she witnessed in the land of the living the fruit of her many years of prayer; for the day of redemption of our men had come as a harvest.

 The spirit of rejoicing became contagious as the fountain of faith burst forth from the foundation of our community, rekindling the flame of hope that burned within the center of the little church.  The community raised her hands and gave a wave offering of praise and thanksgiving for this was affirmation at its best.  This gathering was not motivated by the familiar company of death and adversity but it was galvanized by the spirit of life and prosperity leaving an indelible mark embossed on the tables of our hearts as a stone of remembrance of God’s faithfulness to those who diligently seek him.

The faces of the men took on form as the distance between us lessened and the song climbed louder and louder as it rose to the rafter of our souls.  Tears streamed down their faces as they walked in attention to the leading of the Holy Spirit.  The words of the song bellowed forth with exceeding strength as they sang the refrain, “We’re marching to Zion, beautifully, beautiful Zion; we’re marching upward to Zion the beautiful city of God.”  God himself called the men out from the dark and delivered them from the bondage of shame into his marvelous healing light because of the perpetual prayers of the burden bearers.  The men had experienced a theophany and God made known to them that the city of Zion is Jerusalem but it is also a community where my people who are called by my name worship me in spirit and in truth all the days of their lives forsaking all other gods.  So the men were being mobilized and marshaled by the Holy Spirit to their city of Zion, our community to rebuild the walls of salvation and gates of praise, the place of worship and to re-establish the inseverable ties that we discarded which once bound us together in the spirit of love.

The men marched by us with godly pride as their heads were held high and erect not looking to the right nor to the left but focused on the mission that awaited.  When they came to the entrance of the small church, she opened her everlasting doors of praise to receive them into the sanctuary of God.  As the five loaves of bread fed the multitude of thousands by the Sea of Galilee so the little church augmented itself to an infinite capacity as an influx of men flooded her doors.  We marveled at the fact that the little church now held the entire community of mothers, daughters, grandchildren, and transformed men tenderly in her bosom as the men waited to hear from the Lord.  Suddenly, a rushing mighty wind entered the church as it hovered over the men as a misty halo and instantly vanished in the twinkling of an eye.  Then came the thunder of many waters preceded by an aura of righteousness and justice as it flowed with power and magnetic force from the thrown of grace.  “It is I who have blotted out all your sins for my own sake and will remember them no more.  Today is a day of new beginning and this is the year of jubilee.  Rise up from the dust of despair my people and put on thy strength for the glory of the Lord is risen within thee.  I have made you the pillars in the temple of Zion therefore be bold and be strong for the Lord your God is with thee.  It is time to rebuild the desolate souls of my people, the depraved and abject ones, and reclaim the widows and orphans as your own and to love the unlovable.  My Word shall be your hoe that brakes up the fallow ground, the mortar that seals the bricks in the walls of salvation, and the iron bars that fortifies the impregnable gates of praise.  Who can annul what I have proclaimed or who can summon the Great I AM?”

The knees of the men buckled in the presence of God as they fell into the posture of prayer and raised their hands in exaltation for God had shown himself to be, the invisible bridge over their troubles, the invisible bridge over their struggles, and the invisible bridge who has brought them back home for the reconstruction and rebuilding of our church and community.  The women stood up and began to sing with tongues of angelic beings as the chorus of Amazing Grace resounded throughout the sanctuary of the church for the men have come home.