Tuesday 30 June 2009

07/09/04

The flower’s yellow
Thrusts up, live; the leaves’ yellow
Droops autumnally.

Monday 29 June 2009

06/09/04

Let David rejoice
With the gorilla - for God
Is his protector.



Compare with "Rejoice in the Lamb".

Sunday 28 June 2009

05/09/04

How great is the cost
That God was prepared to pay
For my redemption.

Saturday 27 June 2009

04/09/04

My heavenly Father
Knows my wants better than me,
And supplies my needs.

Tuesday 23 June 2009

03/09/04

For I bless God for
The National Health Service
In Kit Smart’s1 fashion.

1 Eccentric poet of “Rejoice in the Lamb”

Friday 19 June 2009

02/09/04

They have died for me -
Sheep, cows, pigs - as God provides
Meat for my table.

Thursday 18 June 2009

LYING DOWN

Come into infant smallness,
Swaddling love
Laid Him in the manger.

Unnailed from the cross
He was swathed by love
And laid in a tomb.

But before He had been
Love-pillowed
Lying asleep in the storm.

Before He had laid Himself down
In love’s company
To celebrate the feast.

Afterwards, knowing what it means,
He will have His faithful lie down,
For love to serve.

BEHOLD HE SMOTE THE ROCK

Behold He smote the rock:
waters rushed out,
streams overflowed:
how did they doubt
His gladness to unlock
boundless resources yet to be bestowed?

He led them through alone:
He gave them food
from the rich soil;
and soon they could
suck honey from the stone;
while from the flinty rock He gave them oil.

Tuesday 16 June 2009

ABRAHAM

What did it mean to him
When Abraham clave the wood
Of the burnt-offering?

What did it mean to him
When Abraham laid the wood
On his son Isaac?

What did it mean to him
When Abraham built the altar
And piled the wood?

What did it mean to him
When Abraham bound Isaac
And laid him on the wood?

Monday 15 June 2009

SOUTHERNDOWN BEACH

I wrote a verse on sand
Now lost to tide and wind:
Why should I take that worse
Than all my other verse?
Soon loss will have occurred
To all words but the Word;
None stands the tidal shock
Apart from Christ, the Rock.

Sunday 14 June 2009

NEWBORN

“Every shepherd
Must feel the same” –

Thus Abel,
Watching the firstling of the flock,
As instinct, trial and error,
Guided to its mother’s udder.

Thus Rachel
As she saw the lamb
Suck the teat’s rich colostrum.

Thus Moses
As he felt the tight belly
Of a minutes-old satiated lamb.

Thus David,
As he heard the ewe murmuring
Her psalm of contentment.

Thus the Good Shepherd
As the man once blind asked avidly,
“Who is He, Lord,
That I may believe on Him?”

Saturday 13 June 2009

PEACE

God has made peace by the blood of Christ's cross;
By Him now all things have been reconciled.
Out of His anguish, His horror and loss
Peace comes in triumph where sin had defiled.

He is our peace who has broken the wall
Forging diversity into one man;
Coming in love He has preached peace to all:
Formed through this Source we are built to one plan.

He gives His peace ‑ what a wonderful gift ‑
More than the best that this world can provide!
How could we fear with such power to uplift
Hearts to the place where His comforts preside?

As Prince of Peace He will quickly return
Down to this earth to set everything right:
Lord! wake our hearts with desire ‑ let them burn
Till Thou shalt come and secure Thy delight.

Friday 12 June 2009

ACTS 9

The voice from heaven
Breathed identification
With saints on the earth.

Thursday 11 June 2009

HIS PLACE

He took me from the mountains
Where I was wont to roam
And laid me on His shoulders
To bear me kindly home:
I had been lost and straying
And He had heard my plea;
He tenderly assured me
"This is My place for thee."

He led me to green pastures
Where I could safely feed:
He brought me by still waters
To answer all my need.
"My Lord, I am not worthy
Of all Thou givest me."
He tenderly assured me
"This is My place for thee."

He led me through dark valleys
Where all seemed dank and dim;
Where shadows pressed upon me
Although I was with Him;
Though fears arose within me
And made me long to flee
He tenderly assured me
"This is My place for thee."

So as my path goes onward
Through pleasure or through test
I trust my caring Shepherd
Because His way is best.
And when my way is ended
With Him I will be free;
He'll tenderly assure me
"This is My place for thee."

Wednesday 10 June 2009

US

Before divine power wrought
Divine affection thought
of us.

In mercy Jesus came
To bear both sin and shame
for us.

Now from His glorious place
He comes to show His grace
to us.

He's gone in to prepare
A place that He will share
with us.

Where He with joy will raise
An anthem to God's praise
by us.

Tuesday 9 June 2009

RISEN

I can’t believe it,
Said the soldier.
All this cash for not telling the truth
When the truth is
I was too scared to know what was happening!

I quite believe it,
Said the priest.
Quash it, lie, bribe
Anything so long as
We don’t have that Man to reign over us!

He is not here,
Said the young man in white.
Behold the place
Where they had put Him.

Do we believe it?
Asked the women.
And what is there for us to believe?
We are seized by fear and questions.

I believe,
Said the beloved disciple.
For the tomb was orderly,
All distinctiveness, as
He would have left it.

He is risen,
Said Mary.
I have seen Him:
He spoke of His Father
As our Father, of His God
As our God.

Now I believe,
Said the doubter Thomas.
Not merely as a believer.
He has made me a worshipper -
My Lord and My God!

Monday 8 June 2009

WE BOW BEFORE THE TRINITY

Though once afar off enemies
And strangers to sanguinity,
As brought to God and taught to praise
We bow before the Trinity.

According to God's glorious ways
At home in Thy vicinity
To worship to the length of days
We bow before the Trinity.

With every heart and conscience clear
Before God's great divinity,
In reverence and godly fear
We bow before the Trinity.

Men, disparate, may now adhere
In heavenly consanguinity;
As in affection we appear
We bow before the Trinity.

Because of all that God has done
In love a new affinity
Of God and man has now begun;
We bow before the Trinity.

Acknowledging God ‑ Father, Son
And Spirit (in infinity
Three Persons, yet forever One) ‑
We bow before the Trinity.

Sunday 7 June 2009

01/09/04

It takes time to learn
The blessing in some blessings:
“Crucified with Christ”.

Saturday 6 June 2009

31/08/04

A pattern of gems
In the grass - then up flits one
Of God’s butterflies.

Friday 5 June 2009

30/08/04

They squeal, batteries
Go flat, but I give thanks for
Tones they help me catch.

Thursday 4 June 2009

29/08/04

The blood which shelters
From judgement brings the blessing
Of the covenant.

Wednesday 3 June 2009

28/08/04

For structures or flames,
Wood; fruit for food; leaves for shade;
The whole, for beauty.

Tuesday 2 June 2009

27/08/04

In the past they had
Dull candles and lamps - I’m glad
Of clear light at night.

Monday 1 June 2009

26/08/04

When all things are new
I shall freshly enjoy home,
Never to go out.