The Suffering Servant (Isaiah 53)

The Father saw Him tender and pure
But in our eyes, there was no allure
We despised Him, forsook
We turned our backs, refused to look

Yet our grief weighed Him down;
Our sorrows, He bore
And we thought they were His sins
He was punished for

He was wounded and bruised for us;
He was whipped; He was beat
So we could be healed
And we could know peace

We were the ones
Who, like sheep, from God strayed
Yet on Him our guilt
And sin had been laid

He was oppressed and afflicted
Yet never spoke to defend
Like a lamb to the slaughter
Before those that condemned 

From prison and trial,
Then to His death, He was led
But who of us knew, that He
Suffered and died in our stead

He was buried like a criminal
In a rich man's grave
Yet He did no wrong
Nor an evil word did He say

Yet all of His suffering
Was part of God's plan
His death, the sacrifice
To bring forgiveness to man

So He shall live again
With a multitude of sons
God shall prosper in His plan
That His servant will have done

Thus His honour shall be great
Since He gave His life, His all
Shared the fate that we deserved
And pled with God for us all

John's Revelation of Christ--Revelation 1

"Look, He is coming with the clouds"
And "every eye will see
Even those who pierced Him"
All peoples on the earth will 'grieve'

"I am the Alpha and Omega,"
The Lord God decrees,
"Who is and who was and who is to come,
The Almighty"

I, John, was exiled
On the island of Patmos
Because of the Word of God
And the testimony of Jesus

On the Lord's day I was in the Spirit
And I heard behind me
A loud voice like a trumpet
I turned around to see

I saw seven golden lampstands
Among them was someone like a son of man
Dressed in a robe down to His feet
With a golden sash around His chest, and

The hair on His head was white
Like wool, as white as snow
His eyes were like blazing fire
His feet like bronze aglow

And His voice was like the sound
Of rushing waters, a powerful force
In His right hand, He held seven stars
His words, a sharp double-edged sword

His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance
When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as though dead
Then He placed His right hand upon me
And to me He said:

"Do not be afraid, I am the First and Last
I am the Living One; I was dead, and now see,
I am alive forever and ever!
And I hold the keys of death and Hades

Write, therefore, what you have seen
What is now and what will later occur
The mystery of the stars and lampstands
Are angels of the churches, and the ones they serve"

If Christ Be Dead--1 Corinthians 15:17

If Christ be dead in that dark tomb,
Then dead our hope and sealed our doom
To walk a futile path chained in sin's prison
But Hallelujah, Christ has risen!
He has conquered death and sin
So we're now free to walk with Him,
To leap for joy and dance and sing
Praising our victorious King
-----
April 6, 2004

Paul's Letter to the Philippians

Paul corresponded from his prison cell
To the church at Philippi
And though he was in chains
Joy remained his heartfelt cry

For he said, "To live is Christ
And to die is surely gain
Rejoice, rejoice"
Was his encouraging refrain

He considered everything a loss
Compared to knowing Christ
So he pressed toward the goal
For the reward of heaven's prize

"Rejoice in the Lord
For He is near
So ask Him for your needs
There is no cause for fear

For the peace of God
Which passes understanding
Will guard your hearts and minds
And leave you in good standing"

Paul urged us all to think on things
That are true and noble, right
Whatever's pure and lovely
Should be the focus of our minds

He had learned the secret of contentment
In every diverse hour:
I can do all things through Christ
Who gives me power

"My God will supply all your needs,"
He declared as he greeted them
"And the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ
Be with your spirit. Amen"
-----
December 4, 2004

Lazarus

Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus
Their brother whom He loved was ill
He said, "This sickness will not end in death,
But that the glory of God's Son is fulfilled"

When two days had passed, Jesus and His disciples
Began for Bethany as the sun lit the morning
By the time they arrived they found the 2 sisters
Being comforted by friends in their mourning

Martha sought Jesus to tell Him,
"If You had been here, Lazarus wouldn't have died"
For she believed Jesus was the Messiah
He said, "I am the Resurrection and Life"

Soon Mary joined Jesus and fell at His feet
Her tears falling down unrestrained
When Christ saw the Jews displaying their grief
He wept, His spirit troubled and pained

Then Jesus went to the tomb where Lazarus lay
With strips of linen wrapped around
Both his icy cold hands and his feet;
Like a prisoner of death, he was bound

Still Jesus called, "Lazarus, come forth!"
He made no struggle with this obvious choice
Released from death's grip, he followed Christ
When he heard the Saviour's powerful voice
-----
July 15, 2004

Noah

Noah found favour in the eyes of the Lord
In a world full of violence and corruption
God was so grieved by mankind's sin
He made plans to ensure its destruction

God commanded Noah to build an ark,
Of cypress wood and He told him the girth,
To preserve his family, and God's creatures
And then He would flood the earth

Two by two the animals entered
The vessel supplied as a refuge
Then the Lord seal them safely within
Before the genesis of the deluge

It rained 40 days and it rained 40 nights
Until all of the world was covered
Then the waters slowly abated
And on Ararat the boat hovered

Noah sent out a dove until it returned
Delivering an olive leaf in the sun
A symbol of peace, newly restored
Between the Creator and His creation

A year had elapsed since any of them
Had seen or walked upon sod
Having endured, they now were released
Then Noah built an altar to God

God made a covenant: Never again
Would floodwaters so overflow
Then He placed in the sky, a reminder
A vivid, vibrant rainbow

As descendants of Noah, we can see
Reminders of God all around
Even during the storms of life
God's faithfulness still can be found
-----
April 30, 2004

The Prodigal Son--Luke 15:11-32

The father waited, watching
Longing for his child's return
When sorrow one day
To gladness would turn

For many long years his son squandered
The gifts that his father had shared
Until he came to the end of himself
In the depths of shame and despair

Humbled, he came,
Broken, repentant
To offer his life
To be used as a servant

From a far off his father saw him approaching
At once he rushed to his side
Embracing, rejoicing
For the one that he thought had died

Then the father prepared
A feast for a king
And lavished his son
With royal robes and a ring

Oh, what a love
Our Father possesses
Instead of curses deserved
He graciously blesses

He forgives us our past
However far that we've roamed
One step toward Him
And He welcomes us home
-----
October 8, 2003

Psalm 139

Within the womb, together You knit
All my inward parts
May every fiber of my being
Proclaim how great Thou art

May I bow before You
Trembling with fear and wonder
Shout praise for Your marvellous works
That speak aloud like thunder

If I take the wings of the morning
And dwell in the depths of the sea
If I hide in the darkness of night
Your spirit is not lost from me

How precious are Your thoughts to me
How great is their total amount
Greater than the number of sand
Much higher than one can count

You have searched me and known
When I recline and when I stand
My thoughts, where I go
All my ways You understand

Each day of my life You've designed
And in Your book You've inscribed
While I was yet unformed
Before one day came to light

You hear every word that I speak
You follow me and You lead
I am overwhelmed by this thought--
You are an awesome God

Search me, O God, my heart comprehend,
My anxieties test
See if any evil lurks within
And lead me in the path that You bless
-----
July 16, 2002

God's Love Letter

Throughout the ages
This best-selling book has no rival
Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth
Are found within the Bible

No characters there are fairy-tale sweet
Sex and murder and lies are replete
Page upon page in chapter and verse
Show the wages of sin and its curse

Yet prophecy spoke of the future to come
That a virgin would one day conceive
Giving birth to a Saviour
For all who would believe

His miraculous deeds have been told and retold
His death on a cross you have heard
But have you taken the time
To read these life-changing words

Food, for the hungering soul
Light, for those lost in the dark
Wisdom for those that seek
Words that will leave their mark

So dust off the cover and take a fresh look
And see what it says in this most holy book
You'll find more than where angels have trod
If you open your heart, you'll see God
-----
July 23, 2001

Meeting Jesus, One Radical Encounter--Luke 7:11-17

As Jesus neared the town of Nain
With a crowd following after,
He met another crowd along the way
Devoid of any laughter

A widow's only son was dead
And they were headed to the gravesite
When Jesus told her, "Do not cry"
And to the young man, "Arise"

Reunited with living,
The crowd was filled with awe
And praises to
Their good and gracious God

The story spread like wildfire
Throughout the surrounding region
"We were on our way to a funeral
When Jesus entered the scene..."
-----
December 22, 2011

The Suffering Servant--Isaiah 53

The Father saw Him tender and pure
But in our eyes, there was no allure
We despised Him, forsook
We turned our backs, refused to look

Yet our grief weighed Him down
Our sorrows He bore
And we thought they were His sins
He was punished for

He was wounded and bruised for us
He was whipped, He was beat
So we could be healed
And we could know peace

We were the ones
Who, like sheep, from God strayed
Yet on Him our guilt
And sin had been laid

He was oppressed and afflicted
Yet never spoke to defend
Like a lamb to the slaughter
Before those that condemned

From prison and trial
Then to His death He was led
But who of us knew
That He suffered and died in our stead

He was buried like a criminal
In a rich man's grave
Yet He did no wrong
Nor an evil word did He say

Yet all of His suffering
Was part of God's plan
His death, the sacrifice
To bring forgiveness to man

So He shall live again
With a multitude of sons
God shall prosper in His plan
That His servant will have done

Thus His honour shall be great
Since He gave His life, His all
Shared the fate that we deserved
And pled with God for us all
-----
1992

Mary Magdalene

Misjudged by many
Truly demonized
She was

Spiritual oppression
Hovered over her
Taking her places
She would never devise

Until the day
Christ set her free--
Her praise was absolute

She followed Christ, devoted
Until her tears
Flowed at His feet
As He hung upon
The lonely cross

Mournfully,
She carried myrrh
To the entrance of His tomb
But found Him not

Racing to Peter and John
She relayed her distress
Then she returned
And slowly peered
Into the shadows

Two angels robed in white
Inquired of her tears
Then as she spoke
She turned
And saw a man
Who she knew not
Until
He called her name

Jesus urged her
To tell the others
That He had risen
Just as He said

Abandoning her grief
She quickly flew
Rejoicing,
"I've seen the Lord,
I've seen the Lord!"

The words of Mary Magdalene
Echo on my lips
-----
May 23, 2008

David and Goliath--1 Samuel 17

A giant stood before him
That would cause most men to fear
But David did not tremble
For he knew the Lord was near

In his own strength,
He certainly would cower
But he faced his fear
With the Almighty's power

He did not merely stand
Or move into retreat
He aligned up with the Lord
To achieve the victory

He offered up himself
As a servant of the King
Trusting in the Shepherd
To deliver him again

He would not be destroyed
By this giant that he faced
For he knew God had prepared him
For such a time and place

He was armed with faith and trust
For the battle he was in-
The Lord, his rock and shield
Who gave him strength to win
-----
May 4, 2008

Love Is--1 Corinthians 13

If I speak with tongues
That bear a heavenly sound
But have not love
My words fall to the ground

If I can prophesy
And all mysteries discern
If I give all I possess away
And allow my body to be burned

If I have a faith that can
Make a mountain move
But have not love
What does that prove?

Love is patient, love is kind
Love keeps the other first in mind
Love does not envy, does not boast
Thinking the other deserves the most

Love is not proud, and rude it is not
Nor is it selfish, or with a temper too hot
Love always forgives, and then forgets, too
Only rejoicing in what is the truth

Love always protects, always trusts
Hope and perseverance are also a must
Love never fails, not ever
Love is...forever

Prophecies, they will cease
And tongues, they will be stilled
Knowledge will pass away
When perfection is instilled

When I was a child
I spoke and thought in kind
When I became a man
I left childish ways behind

Now we see in mirrored glass
But a poor reflection
Then we shall see face to face
When eyes will see perfection

Now I know in part
Then I shall fully know
Even as
I am fully known

Now these three abide:
Faith, hope and love
But the greatest of these
Is love
-----
1982-2008