When Jesus saw the people of power

When Jesus saw the people of power and high place

Seek out a seat of honor and then to fall from grace,

He taught all those who listened a lesson on false pride, 

How to avoid such downfall, lay arrogance aside.

Seek not the place of honor, seek not the place of power; 

Instead, find humble setting, lest pride your soul devour.

 

Seek not your neighbor's favor in hope of like return, 

But let your gifts be given for those the world would spurn,

Those who cannot repay you, whose favor holds no sway;

Then blessing will come to you that resurrection day.

Our Jesus teaches living in true humility

Will bring true exaltation for all the world to see.

 

 

TEXT: Charles Spence Freeman, June 2022, after Luke 14:7-14

MUSIC: Tune THAXTED, Gustav Holst, 1918; various harmonizations.

 

 

Given my musicological past, I'm inevitably going to give in to the temptation to set a text to any tune that is lifted out of classical music of some kind. This challenging tune got caught up with an upcoming lectionary text with few good hymn options, and this is the outcome of that meeting.