MATTHEW — “BUILD YOUR HOUSE UPON THE ROCK”

MATTHEW — “BUILD YOUR HOUSE UPON THE ROCK” \(Intro — Gentle Finger-Picked Acoustic Guitar, Soft Piano\) Warm acoustic strings, a subtle harmonium drone, distant sitar notes. Intimate lead vocals gradually joined by soft three-part harmonies. \(VERSE 1 — THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT\) Blessed are the broken, blessed are the poor, Blessed are the ones who don't believe in war. Blessed are the hungry, let them have their fill, Blessed are the peacemakers climbing up the hill. Don't pray for the praise of the watching crowd, Don't sell your goodness just to stand out proud. The kingdom isn't gold that you can buy, It's a seed in the earth, it's a tear in the eye. \(PRE-CHORUS — BASS AND HARMONIES RISING\) You can wear your Sunday finest clothes, But only God knows what the inside holds. You can talk like an angel, preach like a king, But love means nothing if you don't do a thing. \(CHORUS — THREE-PART HARMONY\) Build your house upon the rock, Let the rain come, let the thunder knock. Love your neighbor, turn the other cheek, Find your strength in the humble and the meek. (Three voices, overlapping) On the rock, on the rock, Not the sand, not the sand. Love your neighbor, take their hand. On the rock, on the rock, Let the storm roll through the land. \(VERSE 2 — CLEAN THE CUP\) You clean the outside of the cup so bright, But inside you're hiding what you dare not fight. You tithe your mint, count every little seed, Then turn away the people who are begging you to feed. You swallow the camel, strain out the gnat, Call yourself righteous — now what good is that? False prophets come dressed in wool so white, But the fruit on the branches tells the truth outright. \(PRE-CHORUS — BASSLINE MOVES FORWARD\) Don't judge your brother while your own eyes lie, There's a beam in your eye reaching up to the sky. The road may be narrow, the gate may be small, But a heart full of mercy can carry us all. \(CHORUS — FULL BAND AND COMMUNAL CHOIR\) Build your house upon the rock, Let the rain come, let the thunder knock. Love your neighbor, turn the other cheek, Find your strength in the humble and the meek. On the rock, on the rock, Not the sand, not the sand. Love your neighbor, take their hand. On the rock, on the rock, Let the storm roll through the land. \(VERSE 3 — THE LEAST OF THESE\) I was hungry — did you give me bread? I was a stranger — did you turn your head? I was in prison — did you come around? The least of these is where I'm found. Not every voice that cries, "Lord, Lord!" Has ever lived by the words they adored. The wise man builds where the bedrock lies, The foolish build where the floodwater rises. Two men building beneath the same sky, One trusts the truth, one believes his own lie. The rain came down, and the wild winds roared, Only one house stood when the storm was poured. \(BRIDGE — STRIPPED BACK, ACOUSTIC AND SITAR\) Ask and receive, seek and you'll find, Knock on the door with an open mind. What you would want from another soul, Give that freely — let compassion be your goal. No golden throne, no worldly crown, The mighty rise, the mighty come down. The seed may be small, but the tree grows tall, There's room at the table for one and all. \(FINAL CHORUS — SOARING CHOIR, WARM BASS, HANDCLAPS\) Build your house upon the rock, Let the rain come, let the thunder knock. Love your neighbor, turn the other cheek, There's a power in the humble and the meek. On the rock, on the rock, Not the sand, not the sand. Love your neighbor, take their hand. On the rock, on the rock, We will rise and we will stand! (Choir repeats, growing softer and more intimate) On the rock… on the rock… Love your neighbor, take their hand. On the rock… on the rock… Let love be the place where we stand. \(OUTRO — ACOUSTIC GUITAR, PIANO, AND GENTLE HARMONIES\) The rain will fall, the rivers rise, The truth lives deeper than our alibis. No walls of gold, no shifting sand, Just love, like a rock, beneath our hands. On the rock… Fade out with finger-picked guitar, a lingering harmonium chord, and three voices singing softly together.