Tag Archives: Christian poetry

The Face

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In 1990, our then Pastor gave a sermon depicting the many faces of Christ. It was very interesting, and gave us another way of looking at Jesus. The lady sitting beside me gave me an elbow poke and whispered, “You could write a poem about this.” I am quite susceptible to the power of suggestion when it comes to writing anything and immediately thought, hmmm, I wonder…

And so, I came home, sat down with pen and paper and came up with this:

THE FACE

Evil, cruel, hardened,

set in grimaced scorn.

Flattened nose,

upslanted eyes,

with pointed ears was born.

Hollowed cheeks,

haunted eyes,

disease its toll has taken.

Wasted skin, hungered, thin,

in poverty, forsaken.

Criminal,

Down Syndrome child,

Aids victim,

Poor man’s tryst,

Look!

And then, please look again…

and see the face of Christ.

©1990

I gave a copy to the lady who poked me, and said, “Here you go, Christine, this is for you.” She took one look at the first few words and said, “Oh, I don’t want to read this!” But she did, and I do believe still has the poem in her possession all these years later.

As for me, that sermon and ensuing poem gave me the eyes to see all of God’s people in a whole new Face.

 

The Bible on Poetry

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Happiness is finding something to post at the last minute. Browsing through my poetry file I came across this 2012 poem, and thought it would be nice for a Sunday post.

THE BIBLE ON POETRY

The Bible is a book of books,

Sixty-six in all,

Filled with fascinating facts

To inspire, repel and awe.

“He who is pregnant with evil

And conceives trouble

Gives birth to disillusionment.”*

This Psalm is quite poetic

As is Solomon’s Song of Songs.

Job is a book on patience;

Love fills the Book of John.

Does the Bible wax poetic?

Yes, I’ve really come to know it

That God Himself, the Author,

Is the Master Poet!

*Psalm 7:14

©2012

Enjoy your Sunday, it is the day the Lord has made…rejoice and be glad!

 

 

 

 

MY SAVIOR AT THE WELL

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For a very long time I have identified with the Samaritan woman at the well with Jesus in John 4. I have pictured myself sitting there with Him and having Him put me at ease about my lifestyle. And then one day as I was reading her story (for the umpteenth time) the following words came to me, and a new  poem was born. Here, then, is My Savior at the Well.
Oh, that it was I who met our Savior at the well,

The joy of meeting face to face

would all my fears dispel.

To hear Him tell my story,

all the things I’d ever done,

would make me cry, “I’m sorry, Lord,

I know you are God’s Son.”

To see compassion in His eyes

as He looked into my own,

to hear Him say he took my sins

with Him to the tomb.

To feel His touch upon my brow,

His love upon my heart,

to hear my Savior say to me,

“You have a brand new start.”

“Go, my child, and sin no more,

your faith has made you whole.”

He who met her at the well now lives within my soul.

©2007

There is some amazing poetry being blogged here on WordPress. I love, among others, The Sanctuary of My Heart by Skye, and Wordsmith’s Desk by Butch Dean. I bless the day these bloggers came my way!

Metanoia for the Modern World

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A few years ago I attended a lecture given by an evangelical Catholic priest.  It was very informative, and I came away with a new word. Metanoia. It was added to my word collection in one of many journals, and filed away for future reference. I’m hauling it out today in the form of a blurb and poem I wrote in 2009:

Are we praying for ways to redeem the world or planning ways to destruct it? Remember Saul on the road to Damascus. God stopped him in his tracks on that hot, dusty road and struck him first with blindness and then with metanoia, a change of heart. Saul the persecutor became Paul the saint. God can do that in today’s world too.

World leaders need to do some soul-searching as did Saul. Are they interested in peace or is power their real agenda? If it is a power struggle, God, as he did with Saul, will have the final say. The world is getting a wake-up call. Perhaps the energy spent on threats would pay better dividends if used for promoting peace. Who is perceived to be the most powerful? Let them put that power to use constructively rather than destructively.

God can change the hearts of ordinary people also. Let us each leave our own little world, the world of personal, pithy, private life, and step into the big picture. Let us all step onto the road to our own Damascus and experience metanoia.  And now the poem:

METANOIA FOR THE MODERN WORLD

On that long road to Damascus,

the Lord stopped Saul in his tracks:

“Why, Saul, do you persecute me?”

the voice from heaven asked.

“Who are you, Lord?”

the stricken man cried

as he rubbed his sightless eyes.

“I am Jesus whom you persecute!”

the voice from heaven replied.

For three days Saul was blinded,

he neither ate nor drank a drop

until he was convicted

to change the way he thought.

When he saw himself as Jesus did

his eyesight was regained

and Saul the persecutor

became known as Paul the saint.

We need that kind of metanoia

in our modern world today,

let people think before they act

in such destructive ways.

Away with guns and knives and threats

and bombs and words of war!

Hear God’s voice from heaven say,

“These things I do abhor!”

And if we listen carefully,

if we try to be humane,

then surely metanoia

will touch our world again.

Our road to Damascus is just as real today

as it was in Paul’s time…

may we meet Jesus on the way.

©2009