Time for a break!

Off to Northern Ireland for a week from tomorrow - see you on my return, if the Lord will.

LORD JESUS, COME

Lord Jesus, come,  Thy saints are waiting for Thee,
Their love ensuring  a deep and growing longing:
Thou art the One  whose precious blood has bought us;
Thou art the One  through whom we have adoption;
Thou art the One  by whom our hearts are conquered.
Thy loveliness  retains us in our orbit
About Thyself  the Bright Star of the Morning
Whom now we see  as eminently lordly,
And justifying  each title we might posit.
We long to see  Thy face since Thou hast drawn us;
We long to hear  Thy voice of rapture calling;
We long to praise  where Thou hast been exalted.

CROSS

God was glorified
At the cross more than ever
Before or after.

THE FATHER'S VOICE

When first the Father's voice was heard
The tenor of His words referred
To His beloved Son,
And when again me heard His voice
It told who made His heart rejoice:
The same exalted One.

17/05/05

If cleanliness is

Next to godliness let us

Be thankful for soap.

THIS IS HE

How do we answer when we see
The excellence of Jesus’ face
Replete with righteousness and grace?
“Arise, anoint Him, this is He!”

Knowing the grace that sets us free
To enjoy the fragrance of His Name,
His brethren joyously exclaim,
“Arise, anoint Him, this is He!”

We who are raised to high degree,
Surrounding One beyond compare,
Appreciatively declare,
“Arise, anoint Him, this is He!”

THE LORD'S SUPPER

See those who have been filled with the same Spirit
Gather together; for as pigeons home
To their own dovecot so they are assembled
Instinctively; because they have one pole
As iron filings shift towards one magnet
They range themselves. Love bonds them all to Him.

For they have come to call their Lord to mind
In His own way; imagination would
Dye, gild and forge to ignorantly mar
With human artifice. His way is simple.

Do you desire to know the love of Christ?
“My body” He has said, “Given for you”:
And what a body! “Thou preparedst me
A body” - God in tender wisdom digged
Ears, and formed limbs, all of the Holy Thing.
In the reality of human weakness
God cared for it: as swaddled in the manger,
Or wrapped in linen in the tomb.  Between
What excellence in use of such a body!
Daily His ears were opened, His hands subject,
His feet were beautiful, treading God’s way
Through deserts, towns or pastures - towards the cross.

And do you wish to know the love of God?
“This is my blood” Christ said: for it was shed
For many that men’s sins might be remitted.
And how God values Jesus’ precious blood
So that a universe which suits God’s heart
Will have the blood as its secure foundation.
And there the love of God will be displayed
Unhinderedly.  And that unhindered love
Flows now towards the saints which it has bought
Who cherish the new covenant in His blood.

16/05/05

Men cannot impose

Respect; God has put me where

Respect is usual.

15/05/05

The greatest treasure

Borne on the Roman roads was

In the heart of Paul.

14/05/05

As we watch our feet

On tussock, heater or rock

We reach broad vistas.

13/05/05

A father and a son

Enjoying together hills

The father has loved!

In the Scottish Highlands

I'm afraid we haven't hit the hills since!

“BEHOLD THE MAN!”

“Behold the Man!” poor Pilate cried,
Knowing the Master’s innocence:
And centuries of saints replied:
    “Behold the Man!”

Betrayed by Judas, and denied,
Scourge by the Romans – how immense
The sufferings of the Crucified!

Yet much more awful and intense
His sufferings before He dies.
Drinking all, He can now dispense.
    Behold the Man!

LORD JESUS, COME

Lord Jesus come,  and take us from this scene
Where we are touched  by maladies which pierce;
None but Thyself  can finally relieve
From every ill  by which we are bereaved,
From every woe  by which we are made weak,
From every sin  by which we know defeat;
Only by Thee  in whom we are redeemed
Can we obtain  our ultimate release;
Only by Thee  and what Thou hast achieved
Can we acquire  an everlasting peace;
Lord Jesus, come  and save us, we entreat,
From sin and death  and pain and loss and grief.

LET US GO ON!

Because of all that God has done
In giving us His only Son
    Let us go on!

Since Christ descended from above
To show the fulness of God’s love
    Let us go on!

Because the land of promise which
God purposed for His saints is rich
    Let us go on!

The Spirit drawing us apart,
Spreading God’s love within our heart
    Let us go on!

PATRON

As you are reading
A Man is before the Father's face
And He's there for you.

12/05/05

Liz is a blessing

As one who has supported

God's testimony.

10/05/05

As the instrument

Of God's working in others

Liz is a blessing.

11/05/05

As the reason for

Many turning to God in prayer

Liz is a blessing.

09/05/05

As the subject of

God's work, gold to the smith,

Liz is a blessing.

 Just to comment on this: on my 50th birthday my sister told me to count my blessings.  So I counted one every day for that year.  But that was also the year when my sister-in-law, Liz, was diagnosed as having a brain tumour.  This comes through from time to time.  Around May 2005 was when she was last at home.  This, and the next few days, counts blessings relating to her.

See more at:

Remembering Liz

08/05/05

The eternal One

Formed in time relationships

That are eternal.

07/05/05

The joy of sharing:

Rose and me, heirs together

Of the grace of life.

06/05/05

God set them in place

To shine as constellations -

Local assemblies.

06/04/05

Night draws over

Its star-spangled eiderdown

To comfort our sleep.

HIS GLORY

Christ, come to this world of sin,
Had no welcome at the inn,
Though the rich might dwell within –
    In all this His glory shone.

Dwelling with the poor and meek
He was helper of the weak
Close to sinners, yet unique –
    In all this His glory shone.

When His scared disciples fled,
When the Lord was bound and led,
When men buffeted His head –
    In all this His glory shone.

Though men nailed Him to the tree,
Though He bore God’s wrath for me,
Though He died to set me free –
    In all this His glory shone.

Through the ages many a saint
Bore man’s fire without complaint,
Spirit strong, though body faint –
    In all this His glory shone.

YOU

The glorious love of Jesus
Is always fresh and new;
It warms the hearts of many -
But is it known by you?

We know God gave to Jesus
The place that is His due
But now He seeks the first place
Within your heart, from you.

The Lord is coming for me,
And all who are His own,
To take us to be with Him
And with Him share His throne.

Will you be one who answers
His great assembling cry?
Will you be waiting, ready
To live with Him on high?

05/05/05

Great to be part of

“A remnant according to

Election of grace".

04/05/05

The Father made us

Fit to share the portion

Of the saints in light.