I LOVE THIS CHURCH-A song? For All Saints? 11-4-16

CHRIST IN WINTER: Reflections on Faith for the Years of Winter

For a long time I felt envious of Toby Keith and Scotty Emerick. They had such a neat bar to go to. It was so inclusive. I was embarrassed that my church wasn’t as inclusive as their bar.

Until my church voted 197 to 0 to be just as inclusive as that bar they sing about. So I wrote a song for St. Mark’s United Methodist Church, where Helen and I were the first couple married 57 years ago. [With apologies to Toby & Scotty.]

This coming Sunday is the first of the month, so we’ll have communion, and we’ll also celebrate All Saints. In addition to the other folks in the song, we’ll have some folks who come early, if they don’t forget to let their clocks fall back an hour. Don’t be one of those! And change the batteries in your smoke detectors, too.

           

            I was glad when they said unto me

            Let us go unto the house of the lord… [Psalm 122]

I LOVE THIS CHURCH

            We’ve got losers and winners

            Frowners and grinners 

Yuppies and bikers

            Bird-watching hikers

Girls with reputations besmirched

            I love this church

            We’ve got researchers in labs

            And some folks in rehab

            A few a little lazy

            Some a little crazy

            But when we get together

There’s a smile on every face

            I love this place

            Hmm,hmm, I love this church

            We’ve got students and professors

            And lots of sin confessors

            We’ve got doubters and flouters

And even some shouters

We’ve got gamblers and scramblers

And church-hopping ramblers

I love this church

Girls and boys both tall and short

            Old men who sleep and snort

We got doctors, we got truckers

            Broken-hearted fools and suckers

            We got hustlers, we got fighters

            Early birds and all-nighters

            I love this church

            All are welcome at communion

            Any time and any place

            As long as it’s first Sunday

            At 10:30 in this space

            Hmm, hmm, hmm, I love this church

            We’ve got students and grannies

            Little kids with nannies

            Fathers and mothers

            Long lost sisters and brothers

            Health neglectors, sin collectors

            Big talkers, folks on walkers

            I love this church

            We cheer for Cardinals and for Cubs

            And all the other clubs

            Especially ones called Hoosiers

            We’ve got a few boozers

            But we never call folks losers [1]

            Even the Purduers

            I love this church

We’ve got Republicans and Dems

            And hers that once were hims

            We’ve got pray-ers and yea-sayers

            We’ve got folks in classic cars

            Preachers who show their scars

            I love this church

I love this church

            Sometimes we love, sometimes we hate

Sometimes we’re early, sometimes late

            Hot or cold, we are together

            Sun or rain, in any weather

Face to face, we’re in this place

            I love this church

            I love this church

            It’s my kind of place

            Just walkin’ through the door

            Puts a big smile on my face

            It ain’t too far, come as you are

            Hmm, hmm, hmm I love this church

            Hmm, hmm, hmm, I love this church

            Yes, I do

[Sing to the tune of “I Love This Bar.” Irregular]

1] Except in the first stanza

JRMcF

johnrobertmcfarland@gmail.com