You Stayed

Twelve folding chairs in a borrowed hall You checked the clock, then you prayed for us all The heater gave out in the middle of March You kept your coat on and opened your heart Daniel, you laughed when the lights went down Said we could sing with no power in town Some came believing, some came unsure You found another chair by the door

And what we remember when somebody asks Is not how you stood, it's the way you came back

You stayed when the song was over When the room was empty, you stayed You sat with the hurt we couldn't explain And spoke the name of Jesus again Fifteen years of a thousand small ways God's love found a face in our ordinary days You never asked us to carry your name You pointed to Jesus, and you stayed

You knew which hospital entrance to use Who needed groceries, who needed the truth You let a young father be angry and cry You didn't pretend you could tell him why We watched you ask for forgiveness one day Saw what it meant to walk what you say And after the Sundays when words wouldn't come You let us remind you you're loved

You stayed when the song was over When the room was empty, you stayed You sat with the hurt we couldn't explain And spoke the name of Jesus again Fifteen years of a thousand small ways God's love found a face in our ordinary days You never asked us to carry your name You pointed to Jesus, and you stayed

Tonight leave the tables, we'll put them away Sit down with your family, let somebody say Thank you for loving this beautiful mess May the Lord give you room now to breathe and to rest

You stayed when the song was over When the room was empty, you stayed You sat with the hurt we couldn't explain And spoke the name of Jesus again Fifteen years, and we're grateful today For the grace that has carried us all of the way You never asked us to carry your name You pointed to Jesus, and you stayed

We thank God for you today For the love in the way you stayed