Who You Are To Me

[Casey Butler]

"And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said,

"The Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,

"And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.

"Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and (my) fatlings (are) killed, and all things (are) ready: come unto the marriage.

"But they made light of (it), and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:

"And the remnant took his servants, and entreated (them) spitefully, and slew (them).

"But when the king heard (thereof), he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.

"Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.

"Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.

"So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.

"And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:

"And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.

"Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast (him) into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

"For many are called, but few (are) chosen." [KJV-Bible - Matthew 22:1-14]

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We are the chosen, all the same.

This is the place Leonard Cohen has created for the chosen of God, the meek and compassionate rejected by religion because you follow the Lamb wherever He goes. JC I mean.

You came to Leonard's light like bugs to a lantern at midnight, and I did too when I heard it, because you hear the Lamb's Voice through Leonard's words.

We came here because no religion or group would have us as we are, because we won't kneel to the voices of hirelings, thieves, or wolves.

That's why we are chosen. We are survivors of God's Great Seive (described above as the founding of every religion) designed by Prophets.

Again: We are the Elect of God.

I am not a king or a king's servant. I am not a woman or a woman's servant. I didn't come to invite you to any wedding on anybody's behalf - because you are already here and wearing the wedding garments of the chosen, provided by the Host by default.

Maybe the only difference between us is that I went the distance with God, G-d, or Yahweh, or Jehovah, or Allah, or Buddha, or the Universe if you prefer, through JC before I got here. Not because I'm special or any smarter or dumber than any of you, but because the circumstances and influences of my life permitted me the time and afforded me the effort. I was created, after all, by you and by all that created you as you are today. You gave me the time, you told me the effort would be rewarded, and it was.

Unfortunately I'm a strange person. Moody, tending to arrogance and squeaky-wheel communication, yet trained to stop at pedestrian crossings. I wish I was a better person for whatever it is I'm doing here. The scary part might be that I'm exactly the type of person for whatever it is I'm doing here.

Scary to you maybe, but cool to me. Here I'm not speechless, or even asked why my wedding garment doesn't match yours.

Casey