The Clash Of The Lectern The Cry Of Yesterday Voice On Today’s Pulpits

(I dedicate this to you Mina, for telling me always am more than I am)

The world will not doubt that I wrote this except I doubt I did.

I didn’t do this, it is that irresistible inner voice within me that did.

Today am being a metaphysical poet writing like an ecclesiastical poet

Towards a subject that keep worrying the entire earth.

Lord, you have through these lines spoken at length

I have only written it as you sent

This is the yesterday church and todays in juxtaposition

May these lines breed inspiration?

Give us understanding

For understanding is that on which we can keep standing.

I don’t see this as a religious satire

Far from that, I see it as a reminder before our life on earth expire.

I have written this as a religious surgery

To cure today churches of every injury

Lord, thanks a million for the words

Tune my ears to always hear your voice.

.

I

Yesterday’s church focused on salvation

Today’s church focuses on population

Yesterday’s church showed interest in welfare

Today’s church showed interest in wealth fare

Yesterday’s church was known by its name

Today’s church is known by its fame

Yesterday’s church gave attention to evangelism

Today’s church is an agent of capitalism

Yesterday’s church, like the bee, was characterized by busyness

Today’s church is a synonym to business

Yesterday’s church focused on discernment

Today’s church operates on investment

Yesterday’s church was by the gospel’s call

Today’s church is enthused by praying for one to fall

Yesterday, the church was more spiritual

Today, the church is more ritual

Yesterday, the church was more of dedication

Today, the church recognizes those with higher donation

Yesterday’s church planted and watered seeds

Today’s church harvest seeds

Yesterday’s church was concerned with the welfare of members

Today’s church is concerned with numbers

Yesterday’s church envisioned the conversion of pagans

Today’s church give much voice to slogans

Yesterday, the church gave to the world good societal conducts

Today, the church advertise numberless business products

II

Yesterday, by the church human beings became brave

Today, by the church many human beings have become slaves

Yesterday, by the church, many men were set free

Today, by the church, being free attracts exorbitant fee

Yesterday’s church was noted for teaching the scriptures

Today, the church is noted for incomprehensible pictures

Yesterday’s church has pictures of Jesus almost always all around

Today’s church, pictures of leaders abound

Yesterday, political leaders and governments run to churches

Today, churches run to political leaders with begging clutches

Yesterday, by the voice of the church, leaders did rule

Today, by the voices of governments, churches have folded cool

Yesterday’s church did bear human fruit

Today’s church is by materialism suit

Yesterday’s church selected leaders by divine inspiration

Today’s church select leaders by their level of education

Yesterday, the ministry was a divine direction

Today, the ministry has become a profession

Yesterday, the church selected a marriage couple’s theme

Today, the church holds the marriage marking scheme

Yesterday, the church was only a witness for marriages

Today, by the attitude of the church many marriages have seen breakages

Yesterday, the church’s role in marriage was purely advisory

Today, the church make marrying from the same church compulsory

Yesterday’s church concentrated on completion

Whereas today’s church concentrate on competition

III

Yesterday’s church was based on biblical principles

Today’s church focus on humanistic and self-proclaimed titles

Yesterday, worried human beings looked to the church

And with hope like wet birds did perch

Yesterday, in calamity, people ran to the church

Sadly, today, pandemic force people out of the church

Today’s church is afraid of pandemic

Because its own frailties has become seismic

Yesterday’s church was highly ecclesiastical

Today’s church is incomprehensibly political.

Yesterday’s church erased fear from members

Today’s church instil fear in numberless numbers.

Yesterday, the church was the greatest school of learning

Today, it has become the easiest avenue of earning

Yesterday, with nothing, the anointed were by call pastoring

Today, the appointed are by self-appointment profiteering.

Yesterday, pastors were God’s servants

Today, the burden of appreciation has become permanent

Yesterday, religious leaders were available and accessible

Today, without influence, accessibility has become impossible

Yesterday, the church focused on winning lost souls

Today, by the church souls are lost to keep the one who financially sows

Yesterday, the church was noted as a paragon of worship

Today, it has become a parliament of gossips

Yesterday’s church held the keys for descent dressing

Today’s church allow minis and braless vesting.

IV

Yesterday, religious leaders went round to see their flocks

Today, the flocks rather go but don’t get response for their knocks

Yesterday’s church, everything was classless

Today’s church is full of classes that make many less

Yesterday’s church had “Am proud to be a son/daughter of God” as the inscription

Today’s church has “Am proud to be a member of the……… church” as the description

Yesterday’s church, followed the life of God, who worked 6 days and rested on the 7th day

Sadly, today’s church train people to rest 6 days and work only a day

So yesterday church made people spiritually, intellectually and financially rich

While today’s church make people to stop work and chase to flash out an unseen witch.

In the Yesterday’s church, their syllabus has morality standing tall

Today, the church watch as by immorality many do fall.

Yesterday, beliefs gave countless people relief

Today, by many beliefs, a great many are filled with grief

Yesterday’s church gave attention to members and their spiritual and social upbringing

Today’s church ignore the members and use them to put up building.

Yesterday’s church planted in the members that the churches were sacred places

Today, people see church as ordinary so some WhatsApp and while preaching some brush their faces.

V

I am moved to pour out the sea of questions in me

And for answers, my hope may be.

Where is the church’s ‘yesterdayness’

that it is now characterized by mess?

Where is the church’s power of education

that it has now become a school of indoctrination?

Where is the church’s power to save?

that its major focus has now become money to save?

Where is the church’s attractiveness

that members now prefer to stay home with unhappiness?

Where is the church’s charisma

that it has become a place full of drama?

Where is the church’s devotion

that it has given in to potion?

Where is the church’s power of evangelism

that it has become more of parasitism?

Where is the church’s divine discernment

that is chasing advertisement?

Where is the church’s role

that it can now be shut in hole?

Where is the church’s library of knowledge

that it has lost all their courage?

Where is the church’s Shadradrack, Meshack and Abednago like boldness

that churches could be quarantined in sheer coldness?

Where is the God of yesterday

that the church can be cowed today?

Where is the braveness of Daniel, before Nebuchadnezer in Babylon

that the church could today look helpless, hapless and forlorn?

How has the church fallen fast from yesterday’s grace

that the unbelievers lead believers in life’s race?

Where is the church’s biblical theologies

that church is now man by philosophies?

Lord, my sorrowful heart injects sorrowful blood

As ink to this pen that flood

We look forward to your newness

Revive your church and mop our tears.

Yours poetically,

Signed………..

Shadrack Oteng ( Poet-Shaddy)