Woken Stirred

 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ~ John 1:1

I'm woken and stirred,

For the spoken word,

Not choking or slurred,

Let the broken be heard,

I'm stirred and awoken,

For the word that is spoken,

Lazarus come forth;

Let the graves be opened,

Let living lies die

And the dead come alive

Let the voiceless be heard,

Let their voices arise,

Their joys realized,

Let their noise fill the skies 

Pray silence, then, 

For the king to arrive,

He's the living, walking sacrifice,

The Loving risen Jesus Christ

Word become flesh

So we heard it afresh

Born in a stable

In Swaddling dressed

Born on the run and laid in a manger

Born in a barn and into danger

Born to a mum who was just a teenager

Faced disgrace so you wont be a stranger

He was displaced, misplaced for his people's sin

So if his people will turn and believe in him, 

You're no longer a stranger but you're welcomed in

It's no longer death but instead life never-ending

It's mind bending what this little baby can do,

He can transform this world like he can transform you,

Your story may be filled with anxiety and dread

But I promise you he's the King who turns things on their head

*The loser wins,

The winner loses,

The free man cannot,

Do as he choses,

The first is last,

The last is first,

The worst is best,

The best is worst,

The poor are rich,

The rich are poor,

What's yours is mine,

What's mine is yours,

The bereft shall sing,

The happy weep,

The grabber forfeits,

The giver keeps,

If you lose it now,

You gain it later,

The greater the lesser,

The lesser the greater,

If you want to be master,

Then learn how to serve,

Pray then for mercy,

Not what you deserve,

And follow the King,

(Through whom all is made)

As he washes our feet,

On his victory parade,

He became sin for us,

He who was pure,

He was locked out for us,

He who opened the door,

He became last for us,

He who is first,

To gain best for us,

He endured the worst,

He endured shame for us,

He endured the worst,

Now glory is his,

Forever the first,

The dead come alive,

While the living are dead,

All hail the King,

Who turns things on their head*

I'm stirred and awoken,

For the word that is spoken,

Lazarus come forth;

Let the graves be opened,

Come forth from that tomb

That you've made your room,

You have to leave now,

You have to leave soon,

Leave the grave clothes behind

And take Jesus' hand

Come into the light

And take the stand,

I'm woken and stirred,

For the spoken word,

Become flesh and moved

Into the neighbourhood

I'm stirred and awoken,

For the word that is spoken,

The word become flesh

Let fresh hearts be opened,

*Poiema: The Lastest Bestest (matthewjosephpoet.blogspot.com)

I used the above existing poem and incorporated it into 'woken stirred', which was written primarily for performance at Ridgeway Community Church's carol service (2023) as it seemed to serve the idea well.