IV

I love the Father
Because the Holy Spirit
Has come forth from Him.

III

I love the Father
For when I was a sinner
He watched over me.

II

I love the Father
Since His love brought me into
The divine family.

I LOVE THE FATHER - I

A Few Photographs of Forvie National Nature Reserve, Scotland

I love the Father
Because His love did not spare
His beloved Son.

LOVE'S TRIUMPH

O Lord, with hearts adoring,
We travel back to see
Where love divine, unmeasured,
Expressed itself in Thee.

That  dark and lonely valley,
O'er which death's shadow fell;
The cross, where, ranged against Thee,
Stood all the powers of hell.

Oh, what a shroud of darkness
O'er all the scene was thrown;
Whilst Thou, the Light effulgent,
Dwelt in the grave, alone!

But bright indeed the dawning
Of resurrection's day -
Death's power for ever broken,
Sin's thraldom done away.

Now linked with Thee for ever,
In risen life we stand;
And, loved by Thee, we enter
E'en now the heavenly land.

Beneath Thy waving banner,
We sit, secure and free;
And view, with joy and wonder,
Love's triumph, Lord, in Thee!

Hymn by Thomas Willey

BIRTHDAY VERSES

(For Julian)

Extol the Name of Christ the Lord

In whom true life begins

The One who bore God’s judgement-stroke

And took away our sins.

Explain what He has done for you

To those who do not know

That they may find His blessings, too,

And with you learn and grow.

Exploit the blessing He provides

And seek to understand;

And as His Spirit helps and leads

Enjoy His heavenly land.

Exhibit features of His grace

Wherever you may go

Till features of your heavenly place

Shine while you are below.

Exhort His people to delight

In what the Father gives

As one who walks in paths of light

Who comforts and forgives.

Exalt the Lamb and sing His praise,

Rejoice in Him each day;

Pay heed to Him in all your ways,

Wait for Him, watch, and pray.

DELIGHT

God acted that we might

Have Christ for our delight,

And now - how glorious! -

Christ finds delight in us!

HEART

What a heart is the heart of Christ!

For in love for His God He came

To this earth to fulfil all the Father’s will

And to honour the Father’s name.

What a heart is the heart of Christ!

Think of all that He would incur -

None would turn Him aside till He won His bride:

He gave all that He had for her.

What a heart is the heart of Christ!

He will heed all His people’s plaints;

Till He takes us in love to His home above

He will cherish His blood-cleansed saints.

BLESSINGS

It is a great thing for the soul

To know that it is known of Christ;

For He has given it a role

From which it cannot be enticed

It knows a shepherd’s love will keep

It safe from danger as His sheep.

Discovered by the Spirit’s light

The soul will also find it great

To be not only clear and bright

But usable to circulate,

Reflecting, through abundant grace,

The glories of the Master’s face!

How great that, after God’s embrace,

It knows that He is glad to bring

It into an eternal place,

Wearing the sandals, robe and ring:

It glorifies the God who runs

To welcome souls, and call them sons.

I LOVE TO SING OF JESUS

I love to sing of Jesus,

The Man who set me free,

The Son of God who loved me

And gave Himself for me.

He gave Himself to save me

And bore my penalty

Because the Man who loved me

Desired my company.

He died because He loved me,

He died to do God’s will;

As risen and ascended

My Saviour loves me still.

He’s coming soon to take me

To be before His face

To share His love and glory,

And celebrate His grace.

HOW GREAT IS OUR MASTER

Christ came to the earth to take up our condition,

To rescue us sinners from death and disaster,

Redeeming by blood from mere human tradition

Whatever it cost Him: “How great is our Master!”

How vast was the muster of all that’s unholy

To challenge the Saviour, but His power was vaster;

Amidst their deployment His conduct was lowly,

Yet love overthrew them: “How great is our Master!”

If man’s power was evil and Satan vexatious,

Most sore was God’s sword stroke against Christ, our Pastor,

He bore it entirely because He is gracious:

His ransomed saints praise Him - “How great is our Master!”

MAN

Before the time when man fell into sin

God had another kind of Man in mind,

Suited in acts to what God’s loved designed

Because His mind conformed to God’s within.

Before man’s reign of sinfulness and pride

God had another kind of Man in mind -

A lowly Man, unselfish, always kind,

On whom the Holy Spirit could abide.

Before my sinful nature showed its force

God had another kind of man in mind,

Who gave power to the lame, sight to the blind,

And in Himself answered my sinful course.

And now I learn - before the world began

God’s love and wisdom chose me in that Man.

60th BIRTHDAY SONNET

The Centre holds: things do not fall apart

Because the Centre is the ascended Man

Whose work and worthiness secure our heart,

Who works all things to God's eternal plan.

If God confided everything to Him

Because He loves Him, we have confidence

Although the moment's outlook may seem dim,

The end will demonstrate His excellence.

Here He displayed the way we ought to go;

There He sustains in interceding love;

His Spirit guides us on the paths below

And soon we shall be with our Lord above.

So, as the wonder of God's ways unfolds

We trust in Jesus Christ: the Centre holds.

Written early today - my 60th birthday; 16 July 2014

THE SAVIOUR

Oh praise the Saviour for His love

Which made Him take on blood and flesh

As come from realms which are above

To bring men back to God afresh.

Love brought Him to a world of sin

Which held men in captivity;

He worked in grace to bring men in

To righteousness and liberty.

Love led the Saviour to the tree

To bear sin’s judgement and atone

That sinners might be just and free,

Secured by Christ to be His own.

Victorious through all He endured

He sits upon the throne above:

We sing, as those He has secured,

“Oh praise the Saviour for His love!”

PURPOSE

God’s purpose is that He should bless -

He blessed before the assault of sin

And blessed still though the fall came in:

But once sin’s challenge had begun

God showed the heart He would express

By blessing only in the Son.

God’s purpose is that He should dwell -

He intervened thus to reverse

Man’s state since he had proved perverse;

He sent His Son to draw us near,

To cleanse our hearts, and to dispel

Man’s need to hide from God in fear.

God’s purpose is that He should rule -

With all conforming to His will.

And in the time of faith, until

Christ intervenes as Judge and King

He rules among the people who’ll

Share His reign over everything.

A PLACE BY ME

“Behold, there is a place by Me:

There shalt thou stand upon the rock”

For Jesus suffered to unlock

The blessings in God’s heart for thee.

To answer thy desire to see

God’s glory, now revealed in grace

Effulgently in Jesus’ face -

“Behold there is a place by Me!”

A scion of a noble stock

Of those who are the sons of light

Enter God’s realm for His delight,

“There shalt thou stand upon the rock”.

FORMATION

To Judas, sat among the twelve

To hear the Lord’s sublime narration

The word, because it dig not delve

Into him, was just information.

It delved in Peter, found the rock,

Establishing a fresh creation,

Staunchly withstanding Satan’s shock

Since what it built was God’s formation

“Be as I am!” Paul could exclaim

Because the Lord in exaltation

Had filled his sight till he could claim

He was like Christ by conformation.

QUESTIONS

“How shall this be?” the virgin asked

When told of how she had been tasked.

“The Spirit” Gabriel said, “shall be

On thee, and power will shadow thee”.

“Where is the King?” the magi said,

Expecting some soft royal bed;

His star led to the Lord of all

Laid in a manger in a stall.

“Who then is this?” whispering in awe

Those on the sea with Jesus saw

The calm His speaking spread abroad

And recognised the Son of God.

“When shall He die?” the world replied,

Only content when Jesus died;

Yet we can gladly understand

The time, and death, were in God’s hand.

“Why dost thou weep?” The risen Man

In care that was not other than

Care shown before - while now He could

Bring saints into new realms of good.

“What shall I do?” the jailed called,

Fearing as one whom sin enthralled;

No longer fearful and depraved,

Through faith in Jesus he was saved.

WHEREWITHAL

God gives His saints the wherewithal

To answer to the heavenly call.

ASCENDED

Like someone who has fought and won

So that peace reigns for all his own

Christ, with His work for sinners done,

Sits now upon the Father’s throne.

As the sun’s warmth and vigour beam

From its pavilion in the sky

The Father had the Spirit stream

From Christ as glorified on high.

As Israelites could hear the bells

On Aaron in the holiest place

So, as the Holy Spirit tells,

We know Christ acts as Priest through grace.

As a rich king delights to give

Favour and grace where he resides

The Lord is glad that we should live

In blessings from where He abides.

Here on the earth from which His life

Was taken, and men thought Him dead,

The Lord now has His faithful wife

Linked to Him as her heavenly Head.

The Bridegroom waits to take His Bride

Who with the Spirit lifts her voice,

“Lord Jesus, come”; and at His side

In love’s delight they will rejoice.

He will come out as Conqueror

With all His saints, establish peace,

Heal nations, and abolish war,

Giving this groaning earth release.

WONDERS

A long dispensation of mercy and grace

Which comes from a Man in a heavenly place,

Where all of God’s glory is seen in His face -

What wonders have come from the death of the Lord!

The sinners secured from sins, dwelling in night,

And given a place in the kingdom of light,

Who will through eternity be God’s delight -

What wonders have come from the death of the Lord!

The saints where the Spirit of God can abide,

Conjoined by His presence and work as Christ’s bride,

One fit to continually be at His side -

What wonders have come from the death of the Lord!

The Name of the Father has now been revealed

To sons, whom the Spirit of God thus has sealed,

Who give to the Father one-hundred-fold yield -

What wonders have come from the death of the Lord!

CENTRED

Around the holiest place where all was dark

And seen by the high priest just once a year

God had a system centred in the ark.

But now since light has shone to cast out fear

God has a system centred in one Man

Through whom His grace and love to men appear.

According to His past eternal plan

God has a system centred in His Christ

Whose worth was known before the worlds began.

Since against sin Christ’s sacrifice sufficed

God has a system centred in His Son,

Whose value before God cannot be priced.

Thus God delights that all He has begun

Centres in Him by whom the work was done.

RELATIONSHIPS

He could have been the Healer of His saints

And that relationship would have been fine

When they found grace and power that were divine

Removed their ills and answered their complaints;

He could have been the One who cleansed the taints

Of sin, and used His chastening to refine

Reluctant souls; holding them to His line

He could have been One binding by constraints.

And He is all of these; and many more

Relationships of blessing or of claim

Direct our hearts to worship and adore,

Conscious of His transcendent, holy Name;

Yet how much grander that He chose to gather

Us as His sons, and took the place of Father.