The Fredösphere

Thanks to those who have begun suggesting poems on religious subjects for a choral setting.  Let me further define the need.  I hope more of you will jump in with suggestions.  This is my task:

An a cappella choral work a wee bit on the substantial side (i.e., six minutes instead of three or four)...

With a sacred text with orthodox Christian theology implicit or explicit...

And also (this is the interesting part) set to music with a strong rhythmic drive.

A rhythmic drive.  Hmmm.  How to pull that off?  Spirituals have it, but not much else in the a cappella world, not unless you go the collegiate route -- which is very appealing, don't get me wrong, but it is simply not an option in this case.

Now you see better my irritation with the ocean of introspective, meditative stuff I've waded through this week.  Even if I was temperamentally inclined to like poems like...

God's good
The Devil's bad.
Homeless people make me sad.

...they would still be useless for my present purposes.

What's wrong with a good solid narrative?  Apparently narrative poems are out of fashion these days, and that is a darn shame if you ask me.  Is it so wrong that I enjoy reading about Satan going for a walk...

How, then, was the Devil dressed?
  Oh! he was in his Sunday's best;
His coat was red, and his breeches were blue,
And there was a hole where his tail came through.

...or that I enjoy poems where things actually, you know, happen?

Regarding spirituals, I've been thinking especially about Ezekiel Saw the Wheel, and wondering if I couldn't adapt one of the more phantasmagoric prophetic visions into something lively and snappy.  That would require me to arrange the text myself, and I'm not sure I should try.

How about it, folks?  Anyone know of a poem, not too short, with a theme or a story that would lend itself to a lively, driving setting?  Something not begirded, yea even beweighted, by bad 19th century idioms?  Something with a bit of spooky imagery, possibly visionary or mystical, to make it novel?  But still within the Christian tradition?  Surely there's something out there, no?