A midsummer night's theology
Dec 23, 2013 10:26:19 GMT
Post by Colossians on Dec 23, 2013 10:26:19 GMT
This material is for the uplifting of the Body of Christ, however the author reserves copyright over it.
The Throne Room
There was incredible expectancy, amongst the thousands in the crowd,
All were waiting here, you see, for that triumphant trumpet sound;
Raise my head and try to see, I couldn’t count them all,
Seemed as though the universe had souls from wall to wall!
Rich and poor, great and low, all kinds of souls were there,
Not one considered above another, God was truly fair;
And every now and then a “Hallelujah!” would resound,
As another smiling face arrived, who was lost but now was found;
But the greatest time expected, had not as yet arrived,
The time when every soul would see the One who made alive;
“Must be plenty going on, behind the gates”, thought I,
As a flutter of wings, made me look up, to a cherub flying by;
“Must hurry, must hurry”, he muttered, “no time to sit and rest,
For the most beautiful Bride that ever was, the Master wants the best!”;
Suddenly the trumpet sounded, better than expected,
And the way each face lit up for joy, ’twas like the sun reflected!
The celestial gates opened wide, so all could enter in,
Then thundered out a voice behind, “Let the procession begin!”;
The first name was read out loud, the first to enter in,
Oh if only I were first, what a privilege ’twould have been!
There was no response immediately, at least that I could see,
Must have been for one beyond, far away from me;
But slow the crowd, moved aside, for an insignificant man,
With tattered clothes, and worn out shoes, and nothing in his hands;
And I wondered what this man had done, to deserve such a calling,
He must have saved many a soul, and kept many others from falling!
On and on, the names were read, their owners all responding,
Though filled with joy, no tears were shed, ’twas the end of all their mourning;
“Look!”, cried one, “the man from prison, to his cell I’d often been,
And there, the evangelist, oh what’s his name, you know the one I mean!”;
Then at last my name was read, and how my soul did thrill!
No number of people, no mighty arm, could have kept me standing still;
With heart in mouth, and eyes wide open, I bold approached the throne,
The splendour there, and majesty, I could scarce contain alone!
At last I saw, the face of the One, to whom I’d been betrothed,
And on bended knee, I bowed my head, ’fore the Man with tattered clothes.
“the Last shall be first” Mt 19:30
My Little Red Cart
My little red cart, the Lord has given me,
In it are the tools which were given me for free;
When I look therein, everyday I see some more,
What a number there will be when I enter heaven’s door!
Over bumps and holes and bridges, I’ve pulled it everywhere,
But my Lord kept it together for the tools are all still there;
And what excitement there will be, carts so many sizes,
All being swapped for so very many prizes;
Crowns and sceptres given out, every one for free,
What a thrill it will be when I see one there for me!
And did you wonder why it’s red, my little red cart?
It was washed in my Saviour’s blood that poured from His heart.
“For by one offering He hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified” Heb 10:14
Inspired by John Bunyan’s “The Pilgrim’s Progress”
A Cleaning Woman’s Testimony
The alarm rang out loud, another day began,
Oh when would it end, this plight of man?
Drudgery, drudgery, grime, and mirk,
What could be worse than a day at work!
“Lord Jesus”, she cried, “I’m tired and depressed,
Give me the strength to get up and get dressed”;
“My daughter”, He answered, “arise and prepare,
With your Saviour today, you’ve still more to bear”;
So with undaunted love, somehow she managed,
To button her dress with hands so damaged;
Then into the dawn, in the cold frosty air,
Still she knew He was Lord, even out there;
╩
Forty seats and a driver, for a solitary one,
Peering through a window at a pavement so glum;
The seat right beside her looked lonely and bare,
She had forgotten to remember Who was sitting right there;
And just when He’d be too completely ignored,
He gently reminded her He was her Lord;
And told her His blessings, and told her His power,
How He had protected her, from hour to hour;
And so made her to smile, and made her to praise,
And made her to look to the end of her days;
When what would be present, would ne’er be forgot,
And what had transpired, as though it had not;
╩
Then into the cold again, the light still quite dim,
But not really so, for her light was in Him;
“Fairest Lord Jesus, be my all in all,
Keep me safe and warm, in summer or fall”;
“My daughter, I love you, in Me you should rest,
This is the faith I’m wanting to test”;
╩
So into the kitchens, to scrub and to clean,
Her only enjoyment was but to dream;
Her mind set firm, she set to her chores,
Not unto man, but as unto the Lord;
Yet as hours passed slowly, again came her fears,
Hence many a floor has been wet with her tears;
And if not for the faithfulness of Jesus her king,
I doubt she would have cleaned much, no not a thing;
For as Satan would tell her she was of no worth,
And that she’d never be one who’d ‘inherit the earth’;
The Lord would defend her, and give her His Word,
And so it would vanish, what from Satan she’d heard;
╩
The alarm rang out loud, she’d finished her work,
Nine and a half hours of grime and mirk;
And so back on the bus, God’s little Bo Peep,
Head nodding softly in whispers of sleep;
No light had the morning, and again it was dark,
Not even a moment, for a walk in the park;
But back to her house, no trappings for sure,
And where always there’d be none, for someone so poor;
For riches she owned, were stored up above,
Purchased with gentleness, and kindness, and love;
Knowing her life was for something much more,
And her days on this earth, but a shadow for sure;
╩
Some cooking, some sitting, some reading of verse,
Some wondering, some worrying, some crying, some worse;
Yet in all and besides, her joy did remain,
For she knew He who’d loved her, would love her again;
Her energy expended, her strength still in Him,
Her day now well ended, her sleep to begin;
She put down her bible, and prepared to retire,
And put off her slippers, and put out the fire;
And turned off the light, and laid down her head,
Grateful for the little of a nice clean bed;
And yawned off to sleep, as she whispered her prayer:
“Wherever I go Lord, I know that you’re there!”;
╩
The alarm rang out loud, another day began,
Today there’d be no more of this ... plight of man;
Like a thief in the night, the Lord Jesus had come,
And taken her home, she who had well done.
“Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee a ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” Mt 25:21
Praise You Lord
Praise you Lord, praise you from whom all blessings flow,
Praise you for the gift of the Holy Ghost;
Praise you for all beautiful feelings and joys beyond compare;
Praise you for summer showers and winter snow,
For sunset skies that glow and glow;
For beautiful relationships full of laughter,
And times to remember many years after;
Thank you for warm summer breezes and swaying palms,
For oceans rough and oceans calm;
Praise you for city lights on romantic nights;
For music and dance, fashion and song,
For days that are short, and days that are long;
Praise you for heaven and what it must be,
And for many more things I’ve yet to see;
Praise you for holding me gently, but firm,
And for salvation that I never could earn;
Praise you for Jesus, the King of all kings,
For He must be set above all things.
“And He is the Head of the Body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things He might have the preeminence” Col 1:18
The Advocate
The streets were strangely empty,
The town a ghostly haunt;
Worse still my appearance,
Thin and frail and gaunt;
For the day had finally come on me,
The day I would be judged;
All offences brought to light,
And alas, not one was fudged!
The court room full of faces,
Unfriendly it was clear;
The jury staring hostile,
The judge's face a sneer;
My breath a little taken,
My face a furrowed mess;
My heart a lot more shaken,
Sure to fail the test!
╩
Yet as I walked, fearfully,
Slowly down the aisle;
A little old man, tugged my arm,
And addressed me with a smile;
“There's no need to be a tremblin' son,
You've got the very best help!
Your lawyer, you know, 's the best in town,
I've been where you are myself!”;
“But”, I thought, “no-one alive,
Could be as guilty as I;
I'm not just here for misbehavin’,
Or telling a little white lie!”;
“Murder! Theft! Adultery!,
Were the charges that they brought;
What else could be my proper fate,
Than that I be brought to naught!”;
╩
And so there I was a standin’,
Out front for all to see;
“I didn't mean it!” I thought of saying,
As a final desperate plea;
“Please take your seat amongst the crowd”,
The judge did me deny;
“You're interfering with the court,
It's not you we want to try!”;
I stood not understanding,
Until a guard moved me aside;
And sat me down out on my own,
In no-one to confide;
╩
I wondered greatly on the thing,
When a roar erupted soon;
I turned my head and found out why:
My lawyer had entered the room;
Forsaking his usual place out front,
He took the witness stand;
And listened to the charges brought,
As though he were the man!
“How do you plead?”, the judge then asked,
“Be quick to answer me”;
“Guilty, your honour, to all offences,
As guilty as can be”;
“You've heard the man, with your own ears,
We've no more to delay;
This man will spend his life in jail,
If he spends at least a day!”
Straightway the guardsman grabbed his arm,
And took him to his doom;
No tears were shed, no forgiving cry,
Was heard within the room;
And so all came, and shook my hand,
Congratulating me;
And asked me over to their homes to
Celebrate my being free!
╩
Three days later, as I walked,
A citizen very proud;
A familiar face, just a glimpse,
Caught I from in the crowd;
What! the lawyer, my eyes deceive,
No, how could it be?
How could one be in the streets,
Who in fact was jailed for me?
And I grabbed the passer nearest me,
And pointed out the man;
“Say, isn't that the famous lawyer,
The best one in the land?”;
“Indeed it is”, replied the man,
“I know him very well;
How he helped my brothers and me,
I could many a story tell”;
“But”, said I, “for the worst in town,
A captive he was made!”;
“Aye”, said he, “ ’twas almost worse,
In his grave he almost laid!”;
“But now he walks, unshackled,
A freeman in the town!”;
“Let out for good behaviour”, said he,
“Naught can keep Him down!”.
“if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” 1 John 2:1
The Throne Room
There was incredible expectancy, amongst the thousands in the crowd,
All were waiting here, you see, for that triumphant trumpet sound;
Raise my head and try to see, I couldn’t count them all,
Seemed as though the universe had souls from wall to wall!
Rich and poor, great and low, all kinds of souls were there,
Not one considered above another, God was truly fair;
And every now and then a “Hallelujah!” would resound,
As another smiling face arrived, who was lost but now was found;
But the greatest time expected, had not as yet arrived,
The time when every soul would see the One who made alive;
“Must be plenty going on, behind the gates”, thought I,
As a flutter of wings, made me look up, to a cherub flying by;
“Must hurry, must hurry”, he muttered, “no time to sit and rest,
For the most beautiful Bride that ever was, the Master wants the best!”;
Suddenly the trumpet sounded, better than expected,
And the way each face lit up for joy, ’twas like the sun reflected!
The celestial gates opened wide, so all could enter in,
Then thundered out a voice behind, “Let the procession begin!”;
The first name was read out loud, the first to enter in,
Oh if only I were first, what a privilege ’twould have been!
There was no response immediately, at least that I could see,
Must have been for one beyond, far away from me;
But slow the crowd, moved aside, for an insignificant man,
With tattered clothes, and worn out shoes, and nothing in his hands;
And I wondered what this man had done, to deserve such a calling,
He must have saved many a soul, and kept many others from falling!
On and on, the names were read, their owners all responding,
Though filled with joy, no tears were shed, ’twas the end of all their mourning;
“Look!”, cried one, “the man from prison, to his cell I’d often been,
And there, the evangelist, oh what’s his name, you know the one I mean!”;
Then at last my name was read, and how my soul did thrill!
No number of people, no mighty arm, could have kept me standing still;
With heart in mouth, and eyes wide open, I bold approached the throne,
The splendour there, and majesty, I could scarce contain alone!
At last I saw, the face of the One, to whom I’d been betrothed,
And on bended knee, I bowed my head, ’fore the Man with tattered clothes.
“the Last shall be first” Mt 19:30
My Little Red Cart
My little red cart, the Lord has given me,
In it are the tools which were given me for free;
When I look therein, everyday I see some more,
What a number there will be when I enter heaven’s door!
Over bumps and holes and bridges, I’ve pulled it everywhere,
But my Lord kept it together for the tools are all still there;
And what excitement there will be, carts so many sizes,
All being swapped for so very many prizes;
Crowns and sceptres given out, every one for free,
What a thrill it will be when I see one there for me!
And did you wonder why it’s red, my little red cart?
It was washed in my Saviour’s blood that poured from His heart.
“For by one offering He hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified” Heb 10:14
Inspired by John Bunyan’s “The Pilgrim’s Progress”
A Cleaning Woman’s Testimony
The alarm rang out loud, another day began,
Oh when would it end, this plight of man?
Drudgery, drudgery, grime, and mirk,
What could be worse than a day at work!
“Lord Jesus”, she cried, “I’m tired and depressed,
Give me the strength to get up and get dressed”;
“My daughter”, He answered, “arise and prepare,
With your Saviour today, you’ve still more to bear”;
So with undaunted love, somehow she managed,
To button her dress with hands so damaged;
Then into the dawn, in the cold frosty air,
Still she knew He was Lord, even out there;
╩
Forty seats and a driver, for a solitary one,
Peering through a window at a pavement so glum;
The seat right beside her looked lonely and bare,
She had forgotten to remember Who was sitting right there;
And just when He’d be too completely ignored,
He gently reminded her He was her Lord;
And told her His blessings, and told her His power,
How He had protected her, from hour to hour;
And so made her to smile, and made her to praise,
And made her to look to the end of her days;
When what would be present, would ne’er be forgot,
And what had transpired, as though it had not;
╩
Then into the cold again, the light still quite dim,
But not really so, for her light was in Him;
“Fairest Lord Jesus, be my all in all,
Keep me safe and warm, in summer or fall”;
“My daughter, I love you, in Me you should rest,
This is the faith I’m wanting to test”;
╩
So into the kitchens, to scrub and to clean,
Her only enjoyment was but to dream;
Her mind set firm, she set to her chores,
Not unto man, but as unto the Lord;
Yet as hours passed slowly, again came her fears,
Hence many a floor has been wet with her tears;
And if not for the faithfulness of Jesus her king,
I doubt she would have cleaned much, no not a thing;
For as Satan would tell her she was of no worth,
And that she’d never be one who’d ‘inherit the earth’;
The Lord would defend her, and give her His Word,
And so it would vanish, what from Satan she’d heard;
╩
The alarm rang out loud, she’d finished her work,
Nine and a half hours of grime and mirk;
And so back on the bus, God’s little Bo Peep,
Head nodding softly in whispers of sleep;
No light had the morning, and again it was dark,
Not even a moment, for a walk in the park;
But back to her house, no trappings for sure,
And where always there’d be none, for someone so poor;
For riches she owned, were stored up above,
Purchased with gentleness, and kindness, and love;
Knowing her life was for something much more,
And her days on this earth, but a shadow for sure;
╩
Some cooking, some sitting, some reading of verse,
Some wondering, some worrying, some crying, some worse;
Yet in all and besides, her joy did remain,
For she knew He who’d loved her, would love her again;
Her energy expended, her strength still in Him,
Her day now well ended, her sleep to begin;
She put down her bible, and prepared to retire,
And put off her slippers, and put out the fire;
And turned off the light, and laid down her head,
Grateful for the little of a nice clean bed;
And yawned off to sleep, as she whispered her prayer:
“Wherever I go Lord, I know that you’re there!”;
╩
The alarm rang out loud, another day began,
Today there’d be no more of this ... plight of man;
Like a thief in the night, the Lord Jesus had come,
And taken her home, she who had well done.
“Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee a ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” Mt 25:21
Praise You Lord
Praise you Lord, praise you from whom all blessings flow,
Praise you for the gift of the Holy Ghost;
Praise you for all beautiful feelings and joys beyond compare;
Praise you for summer showers and winter snow,
For sunset skies that glow and glow;
For beautiful relationships full of laughter,
And times to remember many years after;
Thank you for warm summer breezes and swaying palms,
For oceans rough and oceans calm;
Praise you for city lights on romantic nights;
For music and dance, fashion and song,
For days that are short, and days that are long;
Praise you for heaven and what it must be,
And for many more things I’ve yet to see;
Praise you for holding me gently, but firm,
And for salvation that I never could earn;
Praise you for Jesus, the King of all kings,
For He must be set above all things.
“And He is the Head of the Body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things He might have the preeminence” Col 1:18
The Advocate
The streets were strangely empty,
The town a ghostly haunt;
Worse still my appearance,
Thin and frail and gaunt;
For the day had finally come on me,
The day I would be judged;
All offences brought to light,
And alas, not one was fudged!
The court room full of faces,
Unfriendly it was clear;
The jury staring hostile,
The judge's face a sneer;
My breath a little taken,
My face a furrowed mess;
My heart a lot more shaken,
Sure to fail the test!
╩
Yet as I walked, fearfully,
Slowly down the aisle;
A little old man, tugged my arm,
And addressed me with a smile;
“There's no need to be a tremblin' son,
You've got the very best help!
Your lawyer, you know, 's the best in town,
I've been where you are myself!”;
“But”, I thought, “no-one alive,
Could be as guilty as I;
I'm not just here for misbehavin’,
Or telling a little white lie!”;
“Murder! Theft! Adultery!,
Were the charges that they brought;
What else could be my proper fate,
Than that I be brought to naught!”;
╩
And so there I was a standin’,
Out front for all to see;
“I didn't mean it!” I thought of saying,
As a final desperate plea;
“Please take your seat amongst the crowd”,
The judge did me deny;
“You're interfering with the court,
It's not you we want to try!”;
I stood not understanding,
Until a guard moved me aside;
And sat me down out on my own,
In no-one to confide;
╩
I wondered greatly on the thing,
When a roar erupted soon;
I turned my head and found out why:
My lawyer had entered the room;
Forsaking his usual place out front,
He took the witness stand;
And listened to the charges brought,
As though he were the man!
“How do you plead?”, the judge then asked,
“Be quick to answer me”;
“Guilty, your honour, to all offences,
As guilty as can be”;
“You've heard the man, with your own ears,
We've no more to delay;
This man will spend his life in jail,
If he spends at least a day!”
Straightway the guardsman grabbed his arm,
And took him to his doom;
No tears were shed, no forgiving cry,
Was heard within the room;
And so all came, and shook my hand,
Congratulating me;
And asked me over to their homes to
Celebrate my being free!
╩
Three days later, as I walked,
A citizen very proud;
A familiar face, just a glimpse,
Caught I from in the crowd;
What! the lawyer, my eyes deceive,
No, how could it be?
How could one be in the streets,
Who in fact was jailed for me?
And I grabbed the passer nearest me,
And pointed out the man;
“Say, isn't that the famous lawyer,
The best one in the land?”;
“Indeed it is”, replied the man,
“I know him very well;
How he helped my brothers and me,
I could many a story tell”;
“But”, said I, “for the worst in town,
A captive he was made!”;
“Aye”, said he, “ ’twas almost worse,
In his grave he almost laid!”;
“But now he walks, unshackled,
A freeman in the town!”;
“Let out for good behaviour”, said he,
“Naught can keep Him down!”.
“if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” 1 John 2:1