Prayers and poems

Prayers and Poems

The Cross
Who is like you?
A Thought for all Seasons
Easter
The Bible Does Not Say
The Newcomer
The Holy Alphabet...

The Cross

For me he hanged, for me he wore the crown,
Beneath the darkened sky black lay the town;
For me he drooped, was pierced, was taken down.

His body women-tended gentle Bride
The head thorn red-scarred and lance-pierced the side
Washed for the garden-sepulchre to bide.

For the three days within the tomb he lay
Till rose the sun and danced with joyful ray
O'er mountains and the hills and far away,
On Crucifying Sunday, Easter Day.

O Cross of Christ, thou are my mighty shield,
Beneath thy shade my sins and wounds are healed,
The door to life is from the tomb unsealed.

From Poems of the Western Highlanders

Who is like you?

Who is like you,
Jesus, sweet Jesus?

You are the light of those who are spiritually lost.
You are the life of those who are spiritually dead.
You are the liberation of those who are imprisoned by guilt.

You are the glory of those who hate themselves.
You are the guardian of those who are paralysed by fear.
You are the guide of those who are bewildered by falsehood.

You are the peace of those who are in turmoil.
You are the prince of those who yearn to be led.
You are the priest of those who seek the truth.

Johann Freylinghausen (1670 – 1739)

A Thought for all Seasons

Because of his boundless love
He became what we are
In order that
He might make us what he is.

Irenaeus (c 130 to 200AD)

Easter

I got me flowers to strew Thy way,
I got me boughs off many a tree;
But Thou wast up by break of day,
And brought'st Thy sweets along with Thee.

Yet though my flowers be lost, they say
A heart can never come too late;
Teach it to sing Thy praise this day,
And then this day my life shall date.

George Herbert

The Bible Does Not Say

The Bible does not say that everybody who is not a Christian is a notorious sinner; but it says that the one who lives outside that is wasting their life. They may not be doing wrong, but their life is lost.

Henry Drummond

The Newcomer

I recently moved house and home,
After quite a lengthy search,
And as soon as I was settled in,
Joined the local Parish church.

On Sunday I walked through the doors
Where the people of God all meet
To be told by a lady in a royal blue hat,
“You are sitting in my seat.”

I turned up at the craft class,
I said, “Shall I put up the tables?”
They told me “Well that's kind of you,
but that job is Fred and Mable's.”

Still, undeterred, I went along,
To help at the Autumn Fayre,
But I quickly got the feeling,
That they didn't want me there.

They said, “Each person has their task,
and everybody knows,
we just must not upset folk
or step upon their toes.”

Then at the Christmas pantomime,
I looked to play my part,
But they said, “You've only just arrived,
perhaps next year – you can start.”

I asked if there was any way
I could offer them assistance,
But they said, “No thanks, we'll manage fine,”
Despite my strong persistence.

What is it with some 'Christians,'
That they make you feel dejected?
You've got a long apprenticeship,
Before you'll be 'accepted'!

Our Lord was not so fussy,
He took folks for what they were,
And he welcomed them with loving smile,
Not an 'ummm' and 'errrrrr...'

So I'll just sit quiet each Sunday.
And blend in with the crowd,
And when I offer to help in 2010,
Maybe then I'll be allowed!

Colin Hammacott

The Holy Alphabet...

things are not perfect
Camp Complaining"
No weapon that is known
On earth can yield the power
Praise can do alone
Quit looking at the future
Redeem the time at hand
Start every day with worship
To "thank" is a command
Until we see Him coming
Victorious in the sky
We'll run the race with gratitude
X-alting God most high
Yes, there'll be good times and yes some will be bad, but... ze:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""> Zion waits in glory... where none are ever sad!

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