THE LAMB

Revelation 5 verse 12

The Lamb is worthy to receive

Power, since in weakness He was here,

Upon a cross of shame;

There what no other could achieve

He did,extinguishing death's fear

For those who own His Name.

The Lamb is worthy to receive

Riches, because He came to dwell

Among the meek and poor;

Those whom He came to serve believe

That Jesus has done all things well

To save, and bless, and cure.

The Lamb is worthy to receive

Wisdom because in foolishness

He bore the cross in love;

Thus He is able to retrieve

Lost ones, and finally, to bless

With wisdom from above.

The Lamb is worthy to receive

Strength since, as Samson tore the beast,

He rent death's power away;

That which bereft He has bereaved

And gives us honey as a feast

Out of His victory.

The Lamb is worthy to receive

Honour, when He shall come again

To where He was despised;

No more to bear our sins, or grieve,

He will take up His right to reign

And be adored and prized.

The Lamb is worthy to receive

Glory, and have the highest place

Among the justified;

His sanctified companions cleave

To Him alone since, through His grace,

They too are glorified.

The Lamb is worthy to receive

Blessing because He came to bless

Through ways of grief and shame;

Bless then the One who chose to leave

The heights of heaven, and confess

The glory of His Name!

Near Bamburgh Castle

When to man’s view the Saviour was oppressed

When to man’s view the Saviour was oppressed

And bitterly afflicted in their spite

No words of acrimony were expressed

By Christ while he endured man’s evil might.

He, like a lamb for slaughter, humbly went

The way through pain and grief by which they led;

They did not fathom why He had been sent

Or that they were the ones for whom He pled.

 

Thus as a sheep led to be shorn is dumb

He made no cry of anguish or complaint

But let the dogs and strong ones drive His course;

This, since they know the way by which He’d come

Brings out the admiration of each saint,

As He was taken by constraining force.

EXODUS

Enslaved to toil in Egypt’s mud
Although they were God’s own they sighed:
The God of Israel replied
By telling them He is I AM
By valuing the precious blood,
And feeding them upon the lamb.

THE LAMB

The Lamb is worthy to receive
Power, since in weakness He was here,
Upon a cross of shame;
There what no other could achieve
He did, extinguishing death's fear
For those who own His Name.

The Lamb is worthy to receive
Riches, because He came to dwell
Among the meek and poor;
Those whom He came to serve believe
That Jesus has done all things well
To save, and bless, and cure.

The Lamb is worthy to receive
Wisdom because in foolishness
He bore the cross in love;
Thus He is able to retrieve
Lost ones, and finally, to bless
With wisdom from above.

The Lamb is worthy to receive
Strength since, as Samson tore the beast,
He rent death's power away;
That which bereft He has bereaved
And gives us honey as a feast
Out of His victory.

The Lamb is worthy to receive
Honour, when He shall come again
To where He was despised;
No more to bear our sins, or grieve,
He will take up His right to reign
And be adored and prized.

The Lamb is worthy to receive
Glory, and have the highest place
Among the justified;
His sanctified companions cleave
To Him alone since, through His grace,
They too are glorified.

The Lamb is worthy to receive
Blessing because He came to bless
Through ways of grief and shame;
Bless then the One who chose to leave
The heights of heaven, and confess
The glory of His Name!

SHEEP

Abel

Well to select
For man's first sacrifice
Of the firstlings of the flock;
God saw
What would not be superseded.

Abraham

What a sheep God
Provided Himself!  Its will,
Its vigour, binding it
To the will of another,
This ram.

Moses

Without blemish, a yearling
The passover lamb - blood
For safety; flesh for food:
From head, legs and inwards
The power for exodus.

Samuel

The smallness of this
Suckling lamb!  Grandeur
Of a whole burnt-offering -
Give in humility; and God
Smells a sweet savour.

John the Baptist

But what was it like
To see One who outranks
All previous offerings?
Impulsion to exclaim,
"Behold the Lamb of God!".

John

In the midst of the throne
A Lamb standing, as slain,
Provokes the acclamation
Of myriads of myriads:
"Worthy is the Lamb!"

FAITH

Faith; Jacob's ladder; Abraham's path; the rope
That hauls me from the deep; the kind of light
In which the blind walk fearlessly; our hope
Made present; noonday sprung up in the night;
The power for deaf to hear and lame to walk;
To walk on seas; strand of a triple cord
With hope and love; a hearing when I talk
To God; and the soul's gateway to the Lord.

God's present; and the beachhead of the place
The Spirit dwells in; means to have a sense
Of pleasing God; the instrument of grace
To save; the herdsman of obedience;

The hyssop for applying the Lamb's blood;
A glimpse of glory; something understood.


See George Herbert: Prayer

 

PASSOVER

Outside is the blood

Smeared on the doorposts; inside

They feast on the lamb.

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.

HOW GREAT

How great is His mercy! - when we were still lawless,

He came to redeem us from hell;

He came as the Lamb who was perfect and flawless -

The Lord has done everything well!

How great is His goodness! - He heals all who need Him

In grace more than humans can tell;

He comes now as manna for all those who heed Him -

The Lord has done everything well!

How great is His beauty - His charms and His graces

Delight all the hearts they impel

To be near Himself to enjoy His embraces -

The Lord has done everything well!

PASSOVER

Outside is the blood

Smeared on the doorposts; inside

They feast on the lamb.

SHEEP

“The firstlings of His flock” -

In choiceness God introduced

In His word, the sheep.

He brings soon to our view

The ram’s vigour,

Entrapping it to His will.

He shows us His yearling

Whose blood is cover

And whose flesh sustains.

And if our weakness

Attains to a sucking lamb only

He accepts it as a whole burnt-offering.

JOHN THE BAPTIST

The Baptist preached of Him that was to come

Acknowledging the Christ's superior worth;

"Repent! Repent!" he vehemently urged,

Striving to smooth the places that were rough.

John owned the Lamb by whom all would be done

To take away the evil of the world;

He learned the grace of the incarnate Word

Who saw baptism as not superfluous

Identifying with those in whom God worked.

And John beheld the Spirit, as a dove,

Gladly descend upon the holy One

Whom God extolled as His beloved Son.

PRAYER FOR MY SON

Lord, as I watch this little lamb

I ask you first to shepherd me

Since as Thy wayward sheep I am

As prone to wandering as he'll be.

Help us to feed among Thy sheep

Where both of us will know Thy care;

Protect us, water us, and keep

Our footsteps from the lion's lair.

But he himself will need to learn

The way his Shepherd had to go

And in his heart himself discern

The reason for his Shepherd's woe.

Help him to learn the Shepherd's voice

And follow in the Shepherd's way

Till he will constantly rejoice

In what his Shepherd has to say.

And bring him safely home at last

Secure eternally from harm

Where no wolves roam and no winds blast

Within the shelter of Thine arm.

The little lamb is now taller than me.

THE MAN

Into the night

- Men blundering in darkness - came

The Light.

Among absurd

Bubbles of futile noise came

The Word.

Where men, astray,

Wandered in pathless deserts came

The Way.

As men's uncouth

Hubbub of lies resounded came

The Truth.

While sturt and strife

Gave death fearful dominion came

The Life.

Amid the shock,

Breakers disrupting flotsam, came

The Rock.

Just where I am

Needing His loving-kindness came

The Lamb.

LED

If first the beloved Son
Was led by the Holy Spirit
Soon it was men of Nazareth
Who led Him; and in His time
He was led by the band,
By the Jews, by the soldiers:
Led as a lamb to slaughter.
What men did not see
Was that through all His Master
Was leading Him to the door-post,
The place of attested committal.

(Exodus 21: 5,6)

TO CATRIONA

Care, child, for the lambs

You will have in your trust.

Value the blameless Lamb

Led dumb to the shearers.

Spin the gnarled fleece

To taut, fine, warp.

Drench the tight threads

Till warm dyes permeate.

Weave loose weft and tight warp

Into a seamless garment.

Hem, embroider, finish

In fine stitching.

Lastly, my daughter,

Wear it with good grace.

We were - a little late - celebrating her 30th birthday yesterday.

THE LAMB

Revelation 5 verse 12

The Lamb is worthy to receive
Power, since in weakness He was here,
Upon a cross of shame;
There what no other could achieve
He did,extinguishing death's fear
For those who own His Name.

The Lamb is worthy to receive
Riches, because He came to dwell
Among the meek and poor;
Those whom He came to serve believe
That Jesus has done all things well
To save, and bless, and cure.

The Lamb is worthy to receive
Wisdom because in foolishness
He bore the cross in love;
Thus He is able to retrieve
Lost ones, and finally, to bless
With wisdom from above.

The Lamb is worthy to receive
Strength since, as Samson tore the beast,
He rent death's power away;
That which bereft He has bereaved
And gives us honey as a feast
Out of His victory.

The Lamb is worthy to receive
Honour, when He shall come again
To where He was despised;
No more to bear our sins, or grieve,
He will take up His right to reign
And be adored and prized.

The Lamb is worthy to receive
Glory, and have the highest place
Among the justified;
His sanctified companions cleave
To Him alone since, through His grace,
They too are glorified.

The Lamb is worthy to receive
Blessing because He came to bless
Through ways of grief and shame;
Bless then the One who chose to leave
The heights of heaven, and confess
The glory of His Name!

COUPLET

He who could call Himself, "I AM"
Was seen in meekness as God's Lamb.

05/02/05

A lamb or baby

- Or a saint - each is born with

The instinct to feed.

A PAIR OF ASSES

(for Rosie)

Appropriately
We can see ourselves as
A pair of asses

‑ For each, like an ass, has been
Redeemed
By a perfect Lamb.

A pair ‑
Not ploughing with
An ox and an ass together.

And like Balaam's
Ready to speak well ‑
If by a miracle!

Alert for the time
When, specially,
The Lord has need of us;

But bearing, daily,
As we find grace,
Abigail to her Husband.