WITHIN THE SILENT ECHO

 

Within the silent echo

Of the last rites

As the last words of life

Reluctantly give way

To the first words of death

God reaches out his hand

And you alluringly ascend

On comforting wings

GOD IS ON THE WEB

 

God is on the Web waiting for your prayer

You can easily find Him if you look around

There is no video link, Skype or live chat

But if you have faith, it will be profound

Of course, if an atheist was to click the link

It would respond with “Page not found”

GOD SAT UPON HIS THRONE

 

God sat upon his throne

In the presence of the chosen

All was well in paradise

It was a special day in heaven

There was a quiet mutter abroad

And the flutter of Angels wings

Before a silent hush descended

And the heavenly chorus sings

KING OF LOVE

The King of King’s Lord in heaven above

Holds the power in His kingdom of love

Not love of power but the power of love 

HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO

 

A hero, a myth a legend

An idea? A tale or fable

With a grain of truth

And come the time

He will be there

At the right time

To rescue us all

What hero?

A name gently whispered on the breeze

Or shouted on the wind

Arthur? Robin? Horatio?

Heroes all

Our real hero, neither myth or legend

Not an idea or tale or fable

But is the truth

And come the time

He will be there

At the right time

To rescue us from ourselves

A name gently whispered in reverence

And shouted in rejoicing

A name embedded in our souls

Our Lord God

A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS

 

Now once more

The year has turned

The advent candle

Long since burned

Hearts darken

As we count the cost

And the season’s spirit

Is all now lost

But it need not

All be dark and gloom

Light can again

Illuminate the room

So here is a philosophy

For all of us

God is for life

Not just for Christmas

DEAR LORD PROTECT

 

Dear Lord protect

The soldiers on the line

And grapes upon the vine

The policemen on the beat

The homeless on the street

The elderly and the frail

The Transgressors in the jail

The young and the vulnerable

The well off and comfortable

Fire fighters at their station

Carers with their dedication

The judiciary and the medics

The believers and the sceptics

Those in planes and boats and cars

The planets and the stars

Crops growing in the soil

Those hard about their toil

The river, the lake and the dam

The lion the wolf and the lamb

The animals on the farm

Protect them Lord from harm

THANK YOU

Thank you for the morning

For the new day dawning

Thank you for the dawn chorus

Refreshing and delighting us

Thank you, Lord, for another day

And for tomorrow if I may

JOSHUA, JOSHUA

“God with us,” or Emmanuel

“A savior” 

In Hebrew called Joshua

In Greek the name was Jesus

“The chosen one”

In Hebrew called Messiah

In Greek named Christ

Jesus Christ

The Son of God

A Jew Born in the Roman Empire

Given by God to the world

For two thousand years

Not known by a Latin name

But known by all by his name in Greek 

BANG

 

Bang!

Isn’t that how it all began?

Scientists tell us so

Like the gospels

Darwin’s disciples preach it

Talking of the creation myth

And the big bang theory

As if a theory has more weight

Than a myth

God didn’t create the universe

They say

But science with its big bang

I find it hard to believe

It cannot be so

Science cannot create a world

Or a universe

They can only end it

With a big bang

Science will ultimately destroy

What they play with life like a toy

They try to play god

With their own creations

Science gave us gun powder

Nuclear weaponry

Choking carbon monoxide

Acid rain

Holes in the ozone layer

I believe in the creation

And the creator

God created us all

With all our faults and frailties

And god gave us great abilities

But he also gave us reason

And the common good sense when not to use them

Just because we can do something

Doesn’t mean that we should

I believe god created a world to love

But if it all began

With that big bang

And nothing existed

Before that moment

Who lit the match?

Who pressed the button?

Who flicked the switch?

That caused the explosion

The bang

The ignition of life

In all its forms

Perhaps we are an experiment

In some cosmic crucible

Or the universe is contained

Within a dirty goldfish bowl

Whose water could imminently be refreshed?

It doesn’t really matter

How it started

Either by the creation myth

Or the big bang theory

The argument is like the universe

A question of balance

Good and bad

Great and small

Searing heat and freezing cold

High and low

There has to be an opposite

To give credence to either

All I know of the universe

The world

This life

Is its very special

Very precious

And finite

Which begs another question?

How will it end?

Will it be with a

Bang!

WHERE DO YOU STAND?

Just standing in a palace doesn’t make you a Tsar

Any more than standing in a garage makes you a car

It doesn’t make you a cook if you stand in a kitchen

So just going to church doesn't make you a Christian

PENTECOST SUNDAY

 

Pentecost Sunday is

The Feast of Weeks

White Sunday

Is the fiftieth day

And Marks the end

Of Eastertide

Celebrating the descent

Of the Holy Spirit

Upon the Apostles

And all followers

Of Jesus Christ

IF NOT

 

If not the lord

Then what?

Raiki?

Yoga?

Or feng shui

Worshiping the elements

The sun and the moon

A return to chaos

Pagan times

Before the fisher of men

Cast his net

 

If not our lord

Then who?

What idol?

What fad or fashion

Plastic surgeons

The new gods

De-toxing

And colonic irrigation

Or wannabee’s

Worshiping celebrity

At the altar of fame

 

If not the Christ

Then what?

Loss of faith

Loss of belief

But they don’t stop believing

Because they have a need

A desperate need

To believe in something

So, they believe

In everything and anything

Except the risen Christ

LET HIM IN

 

Let God within your heart

Fill the void of darkness

Filled with love and joy

Let his love envelope

Your being

Let him bring light

Where dark once dwelt

Let him bring love

Where hate once ruled

Let him bring happiness

Where sadness held dominion

SHE IS THE ANGEL OF THE CHOIR

She is the Angel of the choir

She is my only hearts desire

Her voice fills me with rapture

A voice as sweet as her nature

But though I am in a state of bliss

I could never hope for a single kiss

For she is but a visitor from on high

An angel fallen from the sky

No mortal voice could so express

Each note in perfect choral congress

 

She is the Angel of the choir

She is my only hearts desire

In truth I know she is earthly born

But nonetheless I am left forlorn

For I have her upon a pedestal so high

That even an angel fallen from the sky

When on heavenly wings she flew

Would be less exalted in my view

So, I must watch my angel as she sings

As my devoted heart grows wings

And soars up high on her sweet melody

I pray my angel will only sing for me

ANGELS OF THE CHOIR

Angels of the choir

Is this the sound of heaven?

Such sweet emanations’

Heaven sings out

Each note

Plucks at my heart

Lifts my soul

Then elevates me

Carrying me away

On a choral wave

Of sweet rapture

Then upon the final note

Of purest clarity

I return to earth

FORGIVENESS

I find it hard to forgive

But we are taught we must

To be a good Christian

We must first forgive others

Before God can forgive us

But I find it hard to forgive

I cannot let go the bitterness

Or it’s associated baggage

The betrayal of those I thought friends

The deceit of family

The put downs and the knocks

The adversities and animosities

I cannot make that commitment to forgive

All I can do is promise to try

Try to climb that ladder of forgiveness

One painful rung at a time

And if I do succeed

In becoming a better person

A more forgiving person

If I manage to slowly climb the ladder

And earn God’s forgiveness

I will only do so with His grace

And not by some immense effort on my part

WE STILL BELIEVE IN YOU

 

Master of the universe

Great architect of nature

Builder of the galaxies

Every facet and feature

Don’t listen to our silence

Most benevolent creator

And think us unworthy

Don’t condemn us like a traitor

We are misguided only

That is just our nature

We will turn to you again

For man is a fickle creature

BY GODS GRACE

 

At the end I am serenely at peace

In the moments of my final hour

I feel the presence of the Lord

Who gently plucks me like a flower

YESHUA (JESUS)

Yeshua, you are

Our hope of salvation

Dying for us

Our hope of glory

Living in us

 

Yeshua, you are

Our hope for the future

Living for you

Our hope for redemption

Alive in you

THANK YOU LORD FOR BEING THERE

Thank you, Lord, for being there

And bathing us in your blessed care

Thank you for all your blessings

And understanding my transgressing

Thank you for being the one

Who watches over my three sons

And my most wonderful wife

Thank you for being in my life

ASCENSION DAY

 

Ascension Day

Is the fortieth day

Of Eastertide

And celebrates

With great solemnity

The Ascension of the Lord

JESUS

 

He travels the four winds

He is everywhere.

He is an ever-present force

He is the one who cares

 

He is our strength

He is with us from the start

He gives us joy

He lives in our hearts

 

He is our hope

His heart is full of love

He repairs us

He is love

 

Jesus is the King of Kings

Who died for us

On that cross of pain

To cleanse us

FAITH IS LIKE # 2

 

Faith is like electricity

You can’t see it

But you can see the light

That emanates from it

THE LOVE OF CHRIST

 

The love of Christ

Unconditional, pure

Deeply felt love

That doth endure

WHERE WAS GOD?

 

When Haiti shook

And the old colonial

Structures fell

Who was to blame?

 

When the rains fell on Madeira

Making rivers of mud

Where once were roads

Who was to blame?

 

When earthquake and tsunami

Wreaked their havoc

On Chile’s coast

Who was to blame?

 

The zealots speak of God’s wrath,

Divine retribution

Against the wicked of the world

Smiting the transgressors

But it’s not the wicked who suffer

It’s the most humble and devout

The poor and the needy

Who suffer the most

Why would God do such a thing?

What would be gained?

It’s not a Godly act

But rather that of a tyrant

That’s not what my God would do

My God is a loving God

Not a wrathful being

 

The secular blame God

For not stopping natural disasters

They don’t believe in him

But blame him anyway

Where was God?

What was God doing when he was needed?

When something wonderful happens

They praise nature’s ingenuity

Yet when tragedy strikes

It’s “where was God?”

God is not to blame

It is not within his power to prevent disasters

So he does what he can

He comforts and supports

Eases suffering and ends pain

But my God is not to blame

 

Mother Nature is the culprit

The planet is angry with mankind

And unleashes these acts of spite

To punish us for our indifference

Mother Nature roars

And defines our insignificance

When the earth moves

And mountains split

When winds tear up all before them

And the seas rise up

We are powerless

But we are not alone

When we are at our most vulnerable

Who do we call upon? God

Whoever that God might be

Mine is an understanding God

A compassionate God

OH GOD TO YOU WE PRAY

 

Oh God to you we pray

To let peace on earth come our way

Oh God to you we pray

Would that we could have our way

Oh God grant this day

That peace on earth will come our way

Oh God, we hear you say

That peace on earth will come our way

If we could from this day

Just live Christmas every day

 

Inspired by Helen Steiner Rice (1900-1981)

FAITH IS LIKE # 1

 Faith is like electricity

You can’t see its traits

But you can see the light

That it generates

OH GUARDIAN ANGEL

 

Oh guardian angel

Please watch over me

It would be a comfort

To feel the guarantee

That should I go astray

Watching over me

You would be there

To guide me back to safety

HEAVENS GATE

 

Teardrops stain my cheeks

Now my love you’ve gone

Gone to join the angel’s throng

As sad and lonely I live on

 

I am comforted to know

In my sadness and despair

I’m alone but you are with me

As I feel you everywhere

 

With my faith for strength

I wipe my teary eyes

Safe in the knowledge

That no one really dies

 

We will be together again

If my beloved you will wait

Beyond the golden portal

Just through heaven’s gate