Zion, Sleep! (TLH #479, Zion Rise)
Zion. Sleep! Zion, Sleep! Slumber while we slay thy sheep.
Let’s not talk of efficacy, Never let them lose their sleep.
Church and Change will lull them always,
Zion yonder will not gain the prize.
Zion, sleep! Zion, sleep!
Scorn the cross, scorn the cross. Zion, get the taste of death,
Load them down with hate and jeering, spiteful til you’re out of breath.
See the Gospel disappearing,
Zion count the Lutheran name as loss.
Spread the dross, spread the dross.
MBO! MBO! Zion ever plan thy days,
Lest the Holy Spirit guide thee, and they trust the Means of Grace.
Leonard Sweet reprove and chide thee,
Zion, you must have more parking space.
MBO! MBO!
Therefore, woe to the Church which has no men of this stripe, men who stand as watchmen on the walls of Zion, sound the alarm whenever a foe threatens to rush the walls, and rally to the banner of Jesus Christ for a holy war!"
C. F. W. Walther, The Proper Distinction between Law and Gospel, trans., W. H. T. Dau, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1928, p. 28.
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GJ - Lutherans can no longer sing Zion, Rise with a clear conscience, so this version will suit the synodical mood.
By the way, Kelm's congregation no longer lists a "life coach" on the staff. No email has arrived to explain why they abandoned this crucial aspect of a ministry based on the Means of Grace.
