show the way

it's thursday, and i should be writing a sermon; instead, i'm reflecting on seeing david wilcox @ the birchmere w/ dennis last thursday night. great concert, fantastic performer, albeit one who sometimes wanders a little afield into the realm of cheesiness. as a songwriter, he swings and misses sometimes, but when he connects, he drives the ball out of the park. for the non-baseball-minded, that translates: david's reach sometimes exceeds his grasp, but when he gets it right, he can be almost perfect. today i'm thinking about show the way (b/c my sermon text is from genesis):

you say you see no hope,
you say you see no reason we should dream
that the world would ever change
you're saying love is foolish to believe
'cause there'll always be some crazy
with an army or a knife
to wake you from your day dream,
put the fear back in your life

look, if someone wrote a play
just to glorify what's stronger than hate,
would they not arrange the stage
to look as if the hero came too late
he's almost in defeat
it's looking like the evil side will win,
so on the edge of every seat,
from the moment that the whole thing begins

it is love who makes the mortar
and it's love who stacked these stones
and it's love who made the stage here
although it looks like we're alone
in this scene set in shadows
like the night is here to stay
there is evil cast around us
but it's love that wrote the play
for in this darkness love can show the way

so now the stage is set
feel your own heart beating in your chest
this life's not over yet
so we get up on our feet and do our best
we play against the fear
we play against the reasons not to try
we're playing for the tears
burning in the happy angel's eyes