Good Friday, 2011

Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.   Mark 15:19-20

When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.   Luke 23:33-34

praise to You O LORD,

on this day of days,

this dark, cold night

before the dawn,

on a tree You were hung,

like a lamb You were led

to the slaughter,

without a word, You

accepted the abuse,

suffering the torture and torment,

withstanding the isolation,

dying for us all,

giving up Your life,

that we might live,

Your love never wavering,

You faithfulness remaining

until the end;

praise to You O LORD,

let all the world proclaim

Your holy name,

let all the world fall down

before Your mighty throne,

let every creature under heaven

and on earth, worship Your

magnificent glory,

for You alone are worthy,

You alone are deserving

You alone are LORD;

my King,

my God,

my Everything.

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as a child

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.   Matthew 18:1-5

no more shall we meet,

strangers on this long black road

into night,

darkness gives way to the dawn,

defeated forever by the light

of a rising Son,

illuminating the world,

with His majesty and glory;

what thanks have we,

for this gift given freely?

none be worthy,

even if we could;

as it was given,

so shall we give,

without recompense

or remorse,

honoring the One,

from whom all things

are given,

the Creator who shines His light,

on all things good and bad;

thank you Lord,

that I might have eyes to see,

and ears to hear,

as a child without question,

as a lamb without guilt;

thank You for all things.

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domination

some days I am the tiger,

some days I am the wolf,

some days I am the sick, bloated whale,

lying helplessly stuck,

on the soft white beach,

as natives point fingers,

and stare mindlessly

into my soul;

I cannot make it without You,

I have always known this,

but the flesh is weak,

as the voice speaks gently inside;

“do not be afraid, just believe,

hold on to Me, you shall overcome”

I ask for nothing,

You provide all I need,

I praise Your name,

You alone are worthy;

the day will come,

when the true works of man

shall be seen by all,

the high and mighty,

the proud and self-righteous,

will cower in shame,

for all they have done in the name

of fairness and decency,

their hypocritical deeds

seen by all,

a testimony to the evil

which they truly belong,

failing to fulfill

their insatiable greed,

their burning lust for power

over other men,

domination,

in a dominating world,

where rewards

are never enough,

and death

only a heartbeat away.

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Worthy

speak and I shall listen,

lead and I shall follow,

for You are my God,

and I am Your servant,

for this purpose was I born,

for this reason do I live;

above You,

there is no other,

You alone are worthy,

You alone deserve all worship and praise,

within You do all things lie,

within You are all things possible;

washed with the blood,

sacrificed for so many,

You fill us with your spirit,

that we might find true understanding,

that we might know

true knowledge and peace;

a gift so precious,

it surpasses all understanding,

given freely to all who accept,

though none deserve;

oh my Lord,

my spirit cries out for You,

speaking the love and adoration

that is Yours and Yours alone,

let the glory of Your mystery consume me,

like a  great and wonderful fire;

teach me,

guide me,

admonish me,

cleanse me

purify me,

sanctify me;

that through faith,

I might be found worthy

of one such as You

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A Dark Day

“This is what the LORD says— your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb: I am the LORD, the Maker of all things, who stretches out the heavens, who spreads out the earth by myself, who foils the signs of false prophets and makes fools of diviners, who overthrows the learning of the wise and turns it into nonsense, who carries out the words of his servants and fulfills the predictions of his messengers, who says of Jerusalem, ‘It shall be inhabited,’ of the towns of Judah, ‘They shall be rebuilt,’ and of their ruins, ‘I will restore them,’ who says to the watery deep, ‘Be dry, and I will dry up your streams,’ who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd and will accomplish all that I please; he will say of Jerusalem, “Let it be rebuilt,” and of the temple, “Let its foundations be laid.” ’   Isaiah 44:24-28

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.   Isaiah 55:8-11

Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished. He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.   Isaiah 53:4-11

today was a dark day;

rainy and cloudy,

windy and cold;

gloomy and sinister;

I felt like there was

something I needed to do,

but I didn’t know what,

sometimes it feels

as though this is the

story of my life;

dark days and

not knowing what

to do;

I saw a specialist yesterday

about my herniated disk,

he suggested trying a nerve block

to relieve the pain,

he doesn’t know if it will work,

but it beats the alternatives,

so I’m going to go with it;

I watched a show about Hitler

on the military channel,

about his rise to power

and the extraordinary events

which made it possible,

it almost seemed supernatural,

which of course it was;

monsters like him only exist

because God allows it;

while watching the thought occurred,

perhaps his whole purpose was

to put the Jewish people

through a great refining trial,

a test,

before being allowed

to return to their ancient homeland,

it made me wonder if perhaps,

the whole purpose of America

becoming a nation,

was to make it possible

for Hitler’s eventual defeat,

and pave the way

for God’s chosen people

to return to their promised land,

just like perhaps,

the purpose of the Roman Empire,

was to create the circumstances

through which prophecy was fulfilled,

concerning the Messiah suffering and being

put to death, and the news of His resurrection

being spread through the known world of the time,

by the technology of Roman roads

and transportation systems;

perhaps?

of course, I’m sure

scholars and experts,

much wiser than I,

would disagree and laugh at such a notion,

but then it wouldn’t be the first time,

God has used seemingly

unrelated and unimaginable plans,

to confound the wise and knowledgeable;

would it?

who would have thought

that a rag-tag band of uneducated,

fishermen and peasants,

would confound and confuse

the wise men of their day,

witnessing and testifying

to the greatest event

in the history of mankind?

who could have imagined it?

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W.B. Yeats

welcome old friend,

come in from the cold

and rest awhile,

I recognize your voice,

it is one I have heard

many times before,

the accent was a

little different then,

from what it is now,

but still,

it is the same,

we have talked often

you and I,

during that soft

and painful transition,

as I tried to hold on

to the dark and dying night,

and you patiently waited

for the pale morning dawn,

you must tell me old friend,

have you found that precious

light of a new day,

for which you waited

and searched

for so long?

ah well;

nor could I

hang onto the darkness,

but what difference does it make?

it is in the trying

that matters most,

you and I,

were never born

to live in the black

or the white;

it is the cracks in-between,

where we belong.

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O Eire

O Eire,

who could taste your sweetness,

and not cry out for more?

who could stand upon your cliff tops,

or walk the banks of the river Shannon,

and not feel your mystical magic?

your hills

breathe with life,

so young and fresh,

yet with a wisdom,

so ancient and old;

O Eire,

even the mightiest invader

is overwhelmed

by the power of your Irishness,

as they succumb

not to your sword,

but to your spirit,

you take not their lives,

rather, you take their souls,

making them prisoners

to that which they had come to imprison;

O Eire.

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