LUKE 19:28-40

LET NOT THE ROCKS REPLACE ME

The church is not a stage for us to elevate ourselves,

nor a place where our names are meant to linger.

It is a gift from God,

one of His most wondrous gifts,

given because Christ gave Himself for it,

built upon His life, His death, His rising.

It is the place where heaven bends to earth,

where every breath is borrowed praise,

and every song ascends

only because You are worthy.

You have never needed us,

no human hands uphold Your throne,

no mortal strength could steady glory.

Yet You call us still,

not from lack,

but from love.

Saints only because You willed it so.

And I remember the words You spoke on the road,

when the Pharisees demanded silence,

“If these remain quiet, the very rocks will cry out.”

O Lord, let that never be my legacy.

Do not let granite take my place in worship.

Do not let stone bear the burden of the praise

my living tongue was formed to give.

Let not the rocks replace me.

For this is why I was made,

my chief end, my first calling,

to glorify God and to enjoy You forever.

Not as a bystander to the kingdom,

but as one brought near by grace,

fashioned from dust,

shaped in Your image,

breathed into life so that breath

would return to You in worship.

Formed to meet my Maker,

and to stand in awe before the One

who knit my frame where only You could see.

So place my heart among the chorus of saints,

not for my glory,

but for Yours alone.

Teach my soul its rightful posture,

to bow, to serve, to sing, to shine

only with borrowed light.

Here I am, Lord,

a voice You do not need

but one You desire.

Take my place in Your kingdom’s song,

and let every beat of my life proclaim,

Glory be to God.

And let no stone cry louder than me.