Happy Easter Everyone!
I wrote this poem in October last year for an event called the Gospel Experience Germany. The goal was to share the Gospel of Christ to Germans at large but with a pan-African twist. I say ‘twist’ in the sense that the artists were predominantly Africans from different parts of the continent, performing to a largely European audience. The intention, I recall, was to showcase how ‘church’ is done in other communities across the world, diversifying the image of Christianity and challenging our assumptions of how God ought to be worshipped.
Since it is Easter, I figured that now would be a good time to re-circulate my poem “The Story Goes On” on my website. I hope it blesses you and encourages you on this special weekend.
Here is the written verse for the readers:
There is hope for the future
That may seem lost
So don’t waver in your worship
Of our God up above.
Since the fall of man,
God always had a plan
To redeem humankind
Then let them perish and pass
Onto eternal judgement.
The story of Jesus never stopped
at the cross but continues
as a crossroad to life or death
At your discretion.
Let me put it in simple speech:
Good man,
Bad man,
To God, you’re a deadman.
Coz what is good to godly?
What is honour to holy?
The disparity makes us unworthy
In our devotion to the divine.
But good news,
The gospel is for the undeserving,
Meaning you and me and
The vices of our humanity:
Be it drink or temper,
Be it pride or grudges we harbour.
Grace not only covers a multitude of sins,
But it saves the sinner from sinning.
And so the story goes on.
God, the Father, saw our dilemma.
Knowing the wages of sin is death
And our disposition to profane his name,
He made a plan.
With foresight so frightening to fathom,
He told prophets of providence,
Making outcasts in the process:
Hosea and his whore,
a metaphor for our soul,
David in the ephod
Anticipates us, His royal priesthood.
And so the story goes on,
As the Son of Man entered our world
To be a ransom for many
With hope in His eyes and love in His hands.
He surrendered his crown for thorns,
His robe for blood and bruises,
His praises for mockery
That we might be reconciled to the Father,
That the Holy Spirit might dwell within us,
That death may die with Him.
The gospel is a story of a God
Who reached out to men - who’d reject Him.
So don’t waver in your worship
With the weight of sin on your shoulders.
Lift it up to the Redeemer
to be transformed forever,
For the gospel was never about us
Reaching heaven but heaven reaching us.
His kingdom come, His will be done
On Earth as it is heaven.
The days may be dark,
But our souls shine bright
With the hope of Christ.
So take courage this night!
Our God is good, and our God is love,
And love casts out all fears.
So draw close to God,
And he’ll draw close to us,
As our story goes on,
As we carry his name
Through the years and tears and trials.
The gospel goes on,
As fiends march on our fields,
As fears stir in our stomachs,
As forces dissuade our faith.
Victory is assured
Since Jesus rose from death.
Hallelujah!
If any of you are interested in seeing the other artists from the Gospel Experience, I will include the link here. You can watch the whole live-recording on YouTube.
Before closing, I want to express my gratitude to Hannah Kamara for extending the invitation to perform for a third time. I appreciate the opportunity.
For those that don’t yet know her, she’s a brilliant singer with a colourful voice, soothing to the ear. And her music is simply fire! So, if you are interested in gospel music, this will be up your alley, and if not, it never hurts to give it another shot. You might miss out something 😉
Wishing you all a lovely long weekend!
Samuel Rubadiri 