JESUS CHRIST IS THE SAME

 

Men climb and fall. Each in his day

Rises on mounting waves of fame

Till the waves break in froth and spray

But Jesus Christ remains the Same.

From riches which words cannot say,

Because of His great love He came

Into the deepest poverty,

Yet Jesus Christ remained the Same.

From past eternity's sublime

Relations to an infant's frame

Within the range of death and time

He moved, but always was the Same.

Jesus could utter words of grace

Or in His Father's house declaim

Against polluters of that place

And still in all things be the Same.

Seen on the mountain clothed in white

Or in the scarlet robe of shame

He caused His Father's heart delight

Since every scene proved Him the Same.

Though He heard Peter own Him Son

Or in the High Priest's house disclaim

All knowledge of Him He was one

In mercy and in love, the Same.

In love He reached the depths for men

And in His body bore the blame

For those who trust in Him   but then

In death or life He was the Same.

But His arising power displayed

The justness of His splendid claim

That altogether what He said

He was, He was indeed, the Same.

Peter and John, in faith, could call

Upon Him to restore the lame

Showing that though ascended all

His power and grace remained the Same.

Throughout the dispensation’s length,

Attacked by persecution's flame,

His own received the needed strength

In knowing Jesus Christ the Same.

They did not fear as dreadful power

Of those who merely kill or maim

But found the grace in every hour

That comes alone from Christ, the Same.

The Lord knows those who own His sway

And every one who names His Name

Departing from iniquity

Proves succour since He is the Same.

Soon we will greet the glorious day

To which our longing spirits aim

When He will come to catch away

His own to find Him still the Same.

Then in the time of setting right

His power will make the nations tame

Till all will find in Him their light

And own that Christ remains the Same.

Throughout eternity His own

For whom he suffered will proclaim

No man but Jesus Christ alone

Is, was, and is to come, the Same.

This was written shortly after the Lord took my father in late 1980; his last words were, "Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, and today, and to the ages to come".

London!

JESUS CHRIST

Peace is preached by Jesus Christ
(He is Lord of all things)
For His sacrifice sufficed
For both great and small things;
Jesus Christ remains the Same,
Then, and now, and always;
We have blessing in His Name
In both great and small ways.

Jesus Christ the Righteous One
Is propitiation;
Jesus Christ, God's only Son,
Brought our souls salvation;
Jesus Christ the crucified
Saved us by His dying:
Once for all our Saviour died,
For our sanctifying.

In this world where sin and pain
Makes things seem disjointed,
Jesus Christ will come to reign
As the Man Anointed:
Good and vile with one accord
Will pronounce the story:
Jesus Christ alone is Lord
To the Father's glory.

(You can sing this to the tune of Good King Wenceslas.)

Around Findhorn, run by the Findhorn Foundation: https://www.findhorn.org/

LORD JESUS, COME

Lord Jesus, come,  amid Thy holy myriads
Bringing Thy sunshine  where everything is wintry,
Bringing Thy sweetness  where everything is bitter.
Blessing will flow  without an intermission
And all the earth  will flourish in Thy kingdom:
Gone will be pain,  disease, distress and sickness;
None will be hungry,  dissatisfied or thirsty
While bliss will penetrate  each ecosystem
And agriculture  will pullulate with richness
Even upon  the highest of the hilltops.
What metamorphoses  mankind will witness
When Thou art come  to actuate God’s vision!

Around Buckie Harbour

Pictish Stone, Known as Sueno's Stone at Forres; thought to date before 900 AD.

HIS MOUTH IS MOST SWEET - SONG

We hear His mouth speak in comfort and grace:

In all His expressions His grace is replete.

We ponder His teachings and lovingly trace

The words of His love, for His mouth is most sweet.

If Lazarus heard His voice in the grave

His sister had learned as she sat at His feet;

We long for His coming, triumphant to save,

And long for His shout, for His mouth is most sweet.

The Man who once died will sit on His throne,

Admired by His bride when His work is complete;

She'll be by His side through the love He has shown

And gladly acclaim that His mouth is most sweet.

10 March 2026    Try singing to the tune for O praise ye the Lord.

The Journey Home from Berwick

Near home

HIS MOUTH IS MOST SWEET

 Song of Songs 5: 16

Since grace is poured into                        Psalm 45: 2

His lips, words of grace

Out of His mouth cause wonder:               Luke 4: 22

His mouth is most sweet.

To the sinner, weeping 

At His feet, the words came:

"Thy sins are forgiven":                           Luke 7: 48

His mouth is most sweet.

And to the Father, listening,

"I praise Thee, Father,

Lord of the heaven and of the earth":        Luke 10: 21

His mouth is most sweet.

Hear the expression of

The Crucified Man: "Father,                       Luke 23: 34

Forgive them":

His mouth is most sweet.

A time without words.

Then the words of the Risen One:

"Woman, why dost thou weep?":               John 20: 15

His mouth is most sweet.

Hear the words of an ascended

And glorified Person:

"I am Jesus":                                           Acts 9: 5

His mouth is most sweet.

Another speaking - "The Spirit         Revelation 22: 17

And the bride say, Come";

"Yea, I come quickly":                     Revelation 22: 20

His mouth is most sweet.

By the River Tweed at Berwick; Berwick used to be Scottish but has been in England for many years.  Upriver the Tweed is the border between Scotland and England.

A PSALM ON THE TITLES OF CHRIST

 

If He is the Alpha and the Omega

All titles between belong to Jesus;
If He is the Father's Beloved
He is the assembly's Beloved too.
Since the Lord Jesus is the Christ of God
How wonderful a Christ-ian is to God!
Since the Dayspring from on high has risen
What guidance we have in the way of peace!
Emmanuel has come in - God with us -
So that by His grace we should be with God;
He came that He might become Friend to me
And fold me with those who are friends of God.
If God distinguishes His "gracious one"
He will also pour grace into His lips;
Since He is the Head of the assembly
He's worthy to be Head of every man;
The Person who could call Himself, "I am"
Said also, "I am the door of the sheep".
Since the Just One has suffered on the cross
The just may be justified by his faith. 
Jesus, the rejected King of the Jews,
Will reign in universal kingship.
He is Lord of all we willingly say, 
Before the day when all confess Him Lord.
If already we have the Morning Star
Soon the world shall shine in Messiah's light.
How suitable that the Nazareaen
Should be the branch of true nazariteship;
Since He is the Alpha and Omega
He must have as spouse the Aleph to Tau.
He is a clearer Prophet than Moses;
He is a purer Priest than Aaron;
For the dead the Son is the Quickener:
For the storm-tossed He is the Quietener;
If in His grace He is the Redeemer
Such grace made Him a Ransom for many;
To the One who is Saviour and Shepherd
Belongs the title of the Son of God;
We receive instruction from the Teacher
And refreshing fruit from the Tree of life.
Our  holy, harmless, undefiled High Priest
Bears to our unfading inheritance.
O Wisdom of God, the incarnate Word,
Come and show us the way of prudence.
He who expired is risen: exult Him!
He who excels us all: exult in Him!
We are awaiting the once-slain Yearling:
"Yea, I come quickly", the Lord Jesus says.
Zechariah tell us where His feet shall stand;
And Zephaniah tells where He will rest.

Completed 5 August 2019.

Around Berwick-upon-Tweed

AND AGAIN

 The story is: one night I woke up and thought about the five "One Things" of the previous post. Completely forgetting I had already written about them I wrote the one below.  I could blame old age but some bits of my memory have never been very good!

Secure in law-keeping;

Secure in your finances,

"One thing lackest thou":

A sense of need.                            Mark 10: 21

Conscious of the grace

That had given the light

"One thing I know ...

Now I see".                                    John 9: 25

One thing is needful:

To take the listening part

That Mary took:

At the feet of Jesus.                        Luke 10: 42

"One thing I do":

The aging apostle could say,

Delineating a way for me:

"I pursue".                                    Philippians 3: 13

"One thing I have desired

Of the Lord": to dwell in His house,

To behold His beauty,

To enquire in His temple".              Psalm 27: 4

Down the coast towards Berwick

Into Berwick-upon-Tweed

"ONE THING"; FIVE "ONE THINGS"

 Swaddled in affluence,            Mark 10: 21

Swathed in self-esteem,

"One thing lackest thou":

A lack.

The light revealed                    John 9: 25

I could not see the light;

One thing I know:

A Man called Jesus

Opened my eyes.

Cooking things up,                     Luke 10: 42

Baking, preparing, survey

One thing is needed:

Rest at the Master's feet.

Not possessing, yet, the prize;           Philippians 3: 13

Not being yet full-grown,

One thing: forgetting the things behind,

I pursue.

To dwell in the house of God               Psalm 27: 4

To see His beauty:

One thing have I asked of Jehovah:

That will I seek.

As we were emptying my mother-in-law's house since she was going into a care home I came on a little battered old book for children called, "The Homeward Journey: of Five "One Things" by A.T.S.  This seems to be A T Schofield with Amazon showing a date for it of 1 January 1924.  It is available here.  And that's the source of the thoughts above. (There's another wee story about it.)

Looking back to Scotland

The Coast of Northumberland on the way to Berwick

Friend I met on the way!