Lord, You Called Me

Lord, You Called Me

Lord, You called me. Help me answer.
Help me listen to Your call.
When You strum upon my heart strings,
Let me join Your Heavenly choir.

With Your help, I’ll answer, “Yes, Lord”
When You call me, I will stand.
When You beckon, I’ll come running,
Reaching out to grasp Your hand.

Send me forth, Lord, let me serve You.
Show me where You want me now.
Those who need me, in what manner?
Help me understand Your call.

Let me live the life worth living,
Dancing, singing, I will pray.
Ever praising Christ, my Savior,
God Who leads from day to day.

Good Friday

Lord, He was
Belittled, insulted,
Mocked and tormented,
Betrayed by His friends.

He obeyed.
Hungry were fed as
Your will had requested;
But, still they despised.

There he hung,
Flogged and abandoned.
He died on that cross, for
Your will had been done.

Lord, I know,
Now and forever
I’ve life everlasting
In heaven with You.

Seder

As servant of my Lord,
May I wash your feet?

I dip the bitter herb of sin
Into salty tears
Of regret
Of shame.

I taste sweet charoset
Of fruit
Of joys
Of blessings given.

Unleavened bread -
Your body
Bread from heaven,
Manna -
Is dipped in pungent spices
Of hate
Of curses
Of betrayal.

Forgiving wine,
Your blood,
Prepares a place for me
In Heaven -
Home
Jerusalem,
Where loved ones abide,
And wait.

The Crucifixion

The Crucifixion

I blithely go on and on about “but, I want MORE of God.” Then I am reminded of the crucifixion. How much “more” could I want?? My mind does not “like” being reminded of the horror of what Jesus went through, so my thoughts gloss over it. I’m 2,000 years removed from the event, and from such a distance can often view it dispassionately.

But, it was real, and Christ went through each moment of it willingly, step by step, even knowing in advance what would happen.

Fire fighters will willingly rush into a burning building to save another, but they believe they themselves will come through with little or no harm. They don’t stop and think it through, thinking they will have great pain and then die, before they rush inside. They rely on training, and go without thinking.

If given the option, many might step in front of their child and take a bullet or a car heading for their child. Very few would do that for a stranger. But again, the decision was not made in a quiet moment of thought, with purpose behind it.

But, Christ did. From childhood on, especially during the few years of public ministry, He always knew what was eventually coming. In the Garden of Gethsemane, He asked the Father to please, not need Him to go through with Plan A. However, knowing what was coming, He serenely walked out and accepted, doing the will of the Father.

Even while Christ was hanging on that cross, in agony, the soldier offered wine with gall to help deaden the pain. He accepted each drop of His pain, not softening it with a drug. People shouted and scoffed at Him. Only Christ would still willingly go through with it, for them, and say, “Father, forgive them.“ He could have said, “Game over. I’m done,” and leave. Knowing He could, He still remained there until death itself claimed Him.

He did it for each of us, knowing we would mess up;, and not appreciate it to its fullest. He knew we would shy away from truly seeing and realizing what it was that He did, in love. That’s how “personal” He meant it to be!

Each Sunday we take Holy Communion, “in remembrance” of the freely-given body and blood of Jesus Christ, we realize He did it for us. That’s how much He loves us, and wants us to live eternally with Him.

How could we not believe? How could we ever treat it so lightly?

“Love so amazing, so Devine, demands my soul, my life, my all.”

In This Season of Lent

In This Season of Lent

(Jeremiah 31:19)

I strayed, and finally repented, O Lord.
Understanding, I beat at my breast.
Ashamed, humbled, and penitent,
I bear disgrace from my youth.

In this season of Lent, please help us remember,
Not only the death of our Lord, Jesus Christ,
But His resurrection, and return to the throne room
To sit at the right hand of God.

I pray, I confess, I repent, O my Lord.
Daily, I sin against You.
Hour by hour? No, moment by moment,
I disappoint and offend.

My merciful Lord sacrificed His own Son.
My sin was a nail in His cross.
What was God’s purpose for passion and suff’ring?
He wanted His children restored!

In this season of Lent, please help us remember,
Not only the death of our Lord, Jesus Christ,
But His resurrection, and return to the throne room
To sit at the right hand of God.

Bloom Where You Are Planted

"God has put you exactly where He needs you.
"You are fulfilling His purpose every day."

Others may benefit from your actions,
but let God be the reason you acted!

God observes,
and appreciates
your efforts.

Isn't that enough?

Not Enough?

Not Enough?

I met my friends for caroling.
Music soaring, smiles beguiling,
We wove our way from room to room,
Ushering in the Christmas spirit.
Later, over our hot chocolate,
Friends exclaimed their satisfaction.
But, I found no joy ---
It was not enough.

Trimmed the house with silver tinsel.
Strung the lights with wild abandon.
Wrapped the gifts in bright red papers,
Then tagged, and placed the bows with care.
Sat, enjoying Christmas goodies,
Breathing Christmas-time aromas.
But, I found no joy ---
It was not enough.

Family came to share the season.
Children laughed, awaiting Santa.
In the morning, gifts all opened,
Papers strewn, and bows akimbo,
“Thank you, Santa,” the children shout.
Later, after Christmas dinner,
Together, there’s joy ---
But still, not enough.

Hollow hopes and fantasies are
Not enough to tide us over.
What is Christmas, without Jesus?
What is life, without the Christ Child?
Worship Jesus Christ forever,
Knowing that He came to save us,
What else could we need?
He’s more than enough!