In Beginning To Chill Hostility
by Michael Doyle

In truth, Christ came to save us all
Bringing us peace, as we might recall
Christ has already graced us as He's done
In the name of the Father, the Spirit, and the Son

In this world, hanging onto hostility
There's seldom a case study in humility
There is so much happening in controversy
That seemingly cannot help but be incendiary

Reaching for the surface are the conversations
That struggle with blowback and have derivations
Of holiness, which becomes harder still to reach
So that there is something to hear as we preach

That critical thinking seems harder to do
In the echo chambers that capture me and you
Prayer, then, is the start of being truly woken
Let our words be guided by God as these are spoken

It's better not to pretend the lip service
That doesn't align with our life purposes
We must put on our best sense of confidence
While binding ourselves into the hands of providence

If you want to know something good and new
Begin by studying the old and seek out what's true
Send out your arguments by seeking to understand
This is what our times ardently demand

Morality must find its surface in the best way
To take on corruption to make for a better day
We must stand in the public square in good repute
Unafraid to put the impure into reasoned dispute

It's odd to hear arguments made about intention
When the statements made evidence lack of attention
The rules of engagement have become insensibility
Christians must show God's ways through civility

In Christ's betrayal, He first shared the bread
Of His broken body to keep in His followers' heads
That mercy enfolds and holds us in its embrace
That we might know God's salvation and loving grace

So many times, we fall short in this season
Losing ground to our passions and forgetting reason
Yet, there on Golgotha's cursed barren tree
Our savior's death bought us our eternal liberty

(c) August 4, 2024   Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved