God Calls to Us, Says “Here am I.”

God calls to us, says “Here am I.”
       Reveals Himself to us by grace.
“Keep to yourself! Do not draw nigh.”
       Our answer provokes to God's face.
“I am too holy” we go on,
       “Too holy for you.” to God say.
Our own devices drive us on
       To reject God, send Him away.

What holiness is this we name?
       Our hearts pour out their lust and pride.
What virtue do we say we claim?
       Our tongues lash out to curse and lie.
What love gives proof of sanctity?
       Our love of self and perverse wants.
What peace shows forth our unity?
       Our peace that rings out jeers and taunts.

If God had left us in our sin
       Imprisoned in our unbelief,
On judgment day how great a din
       Of wailing we would sound in grief.
God's fury He would on us spend
       To pay us our deservèd wage.  
The truth we then would apprehend      
       In endless torment ne'er assuaged.

But God in flesh Himself revealed
       To call unto Himself His own.
And though rejected, light revealed
       By which our darkness is well shown.
Yet in our disobedience crass,
       To which God binds all men by Law,
God shows His mercy on the cross
       From whence forgiveness flows to all.

What here revealed is wondrous grace:
       That though God's wrath we well deserve,
Christ bore this wrath--died in our place--
       So unto life God us reserves.
His sob'ring Word God speaks to us
       Lest we forget our source of life,
And spurn the grace God gives to us
       That saves us from our sin and strife. 

[Fall 2012]

Our Fallen World Is Steeped in Sin (Or, An Inadvertent Hymn Limerick)

Our fallen world is steeped in sin
Surrounding us, without, within.
       Our own strength fails,
       Will not avail
To 'gainst the curse the battle win.

Yet some think that they can attain
To holiness which life them gains.
       With hard'ning hearts,
       They set apart
Themselves as free from sinful stain.

Upon the Law do they rely
And place their hope to curse deny.
       Yet shows their deaths
       The curse's breadth
For from the Law their works belie.

Where our own strength is worthless shown
God makes His pow'r in weakness known:
       Christ, crucified,
       In weakness died,
His blood shed to our sin atone.

Though free from sin and curse's blame
Christ spurned not cross and curse became.
       In dying thus,
       Christ redeemed us,
And by this sin's curse overcame.

Set free from self-reliant ways,
We now on Christ do fix our gaze.
       We need not fear,
       For faith sees here,
The strength for everlasting days.

[2013]

Faith rest

[I wrote this based on the submission theme "Faith" for a magazine, but I ultimately decided not to submit it. I remembered it a few days ago and thought I might as well post it here]

~~~~~~~

I believe

                 in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.

And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord. . .

Five months ago, I sat under this same tree at the edge of the cemetery.

“Daddy! Daddy! I can’t get down!” the girl screamed.

Her bright red jacket matched the leaves falling from the trees,

but this leaf didn’t want to fall and was hanging on with all her life.

“DADDY!”

“How did you get there?” her father asked mirthfully, running to his crying daughter.

“Jump and I’ll catch you.”

The screaming wind carried her laughter to me as she smiled

and threw herself backwards off the playground.

Leaves swirled as he spun with her laughing in his arms.

. . .was crucified, died and was buried. . .

Now I stand under the leafless tree.

The playground is empty as I watch them

lower her casket into the snow-covered ground.

. . .The third day He rose again from the dead. . .

As I turn to leave, the wind blows the snow

and I see a white crocus against the revealed ground.

. . .the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

[March 14, 2014]