Dear God, bless the status quo

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Dear God, bless the status quo,
We like things as they are.
Lead us not down narrow roads,
Let us go not far.

We've built our houses, set up shop,
We've conqur'd mount and range.
Then sea, now space (we'll never stop);
Just don't ask us to change.

We like our gospel nice and soft,
our preaching short and sweet;
Our music loud, our buffet oft'n,
and prophets on the street.

The truths too sharp for tickled ears,
It shaves our nice, warm fuzzies.
Growth takes too long (we want it now!),
Not Bible-thumped head noogies.

We'll hold our right to stand our ground,
To keep and not divest
those things we have that serve us most,
Of fleshly inter-est.

It's hard to live by what's not seen,
Ease shapes our lives so much.
Now hurry up those points and poems,
so we can go to lunch!

There is a foe who roams this world,
That kills good church bus’ness;
He only watches for himself--
That enemy is us!

(Inspired by John Betjeman's WWII poem, "In Westminster Abbey.")

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