Sardis: The Esteemed Empty Ones

 Revelation 3:1-6
 
Reputation, honor, a name of prestige –
Desirable gems that dazzle and tease;
The church at Sardis laid claim to these,
But inside were empty, defiled, deceased.
 
Oh, Savior, revive us again!
Cleanse us from all hidden sin!
Make us watchful and strengthened;
What really counts is the Father’s opinion.
 
How does it happen, this internal decay?
Surely the battle’s not lost in a day,
But rather in tiny steps leading astray
That over time make hollow words that we say.
 
Oh, Savior, revive us again!
Cleanse us from all hidden sin!
Make us watchful and strengthened;
What really counts is the Father’s opinion.
 
Now Sardis the city had known a similar fate:
Built on a mountain, impregnable, great –
“We don’t need a guard!” they’d swallowed pride’s bait –
But Persians surprised them with fatal checkmate.*
 
Oh, Savior, revive us again!
Cleanse us from all hidden sin!
Make us watchful and strengthened;
What really counts is the Father’s opinion.

What others think about who I am
Is not what impresses God’s holy Lamb.
Am I real on the inside, or is it flimflam?
May “Genuine” be how You mark my exam.
 
Oh, Savior, revive us again!
Cleanse us from all hidden sin!
Make us watchful and strengthened;
What really counts is the Father’s opinion.