That Blessed Hope

Based on Titus 2:11-14

One night in hopeless Bethlehem

As Roman soldiers walked the streets,

As crowded inns are filled with travelers,

The world a newborn baby meets.

A baby Who came to change the world,

That it might no more in darkness grope;

He's Light of the World, Savior of all,

Our Righteousness, that Blessed Hope.

This day in hopeless America

As nothing is solid, nothing is sure,

As we wonder what will happen tomorrow,

He is the One Who shall endure.

He's the Rock to stand upon in trials.

Encourage each other; do more than cope!

For he fulfilled the first coming promise,

And he'll come again--that Blessed Hope.

And one day in this hopeless world

As we do not expect His shout,

As trumpets sound, He will descend,

Secure His children and crush all doubt.

The King Who reigns, forevermore,

Will reveal His glory in fullest scope.

We'll worship Him as we rise to heaven,

"All honor to You, our Blessed Hope!"

Christmas Gift of Grace

for Marilla K., whose FB status inspired me

Christmas Eve is here again
And Santa's hitched his sleigh
To bring the good little girls and boys
Their gifts for Christmas day.
Let's hope that they've most diligently
Earned the bearded man's favor
By being perfect, little angels
While on their best behavior.
To get the big man's presents
One must strive and one must do;
His gifts are not free of charge
Watch out! I'm warning you!

Christmas Eve is here again
And a baby's in the hay
To bring all the little girls and boys
A gift on Christmas day.
He's come as a symbol of the Father's love
And His unmerited favor
Even though we are not perfect
And we have sinful behavior.
To get this baby's present
One must only truly believe
In the gift that is free of charge
And Jesus' grace receive.

Christmas Day is here again;
Joy our Jesus brings.
But not only the reason for the season He is
But the reason for everything!

A Renewed Perception of Christmas

for Derek S., whose testimony inspired me

Especially during busy times:
Complaining,
Grinching,
Forgetting the meaning
Of this Christmas season.

Grumbling,
Muttering,
Rambling through the days,
Thinking I've got it so bad.
But is it really
About me?

And then I heard the Christmas story again...

Had I ever thought
About the busyness of traveling to Bethlehem?
About the difficulty of laboring in a stable?
About the conditions that Jesus was born into?
About Mary's pain?
Is my life really that bad?
Is it really
About me?

Had I ever thought
About the struggle of growing up as the Son of God on earth?
About how much energy it took to lovingly heal people daily?
About how much effort Jesus put into teaching His disciples?
About Jesus' tired body?
About the hurt He experienced while being "rejected by men"?
Is my life really that bad?
Is it really
About me?

Had I ever thought
About the sweat Jesus shed over dying on the cross for my sin?
About the agony He endured at the hands of others?
About the ridicule He endured without an unkind word?
About His pain?
About His crown of thorns?
About His humiliation?
Is my life really that bad?
Is it really
About me?

Had I ever stopped my busyness and just pondered
His incredible love,
His matchless grace,
His unending forgiveness,
His precious peace,
His blessed hope,
Or His holy name?

My life isn't that bad.
I have a reason to celebrate this Christmas season:
It is all about
Him.

They Chopped Down a Tree...

We chopped down a tree
And decorated it with shiny metal
Ornaments.
And underneath it we placed
Gifts that would
Delight the hearts of the receivers.

They chopped down a tree
And decorated it with shiny metal
Nails.
And on it they placed
The Gift Who would
Delight the hearts of the receivers.

That Gift
Who would be as a Fruitful, Gracious
Abundance
In a broken, sinful world.

They chopped down a tree
Not knowing
Of the promise of God's restoration:
The Tree of Life
In a formally barren wilderness of thorns.
That Gift
Becoming the Hope of the world,
The Everlasting Promise
Of God's Love.

They chopped down a tree
And placed on it Jesus--
Emmanuel--
That Gift
Who would redeem our souls.


"So shall my word be that goes forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. For you shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree... and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off"
(Isaiah 55: 11-13).

Precious Souls

Precious souls that seek redemption
God in mercy shall redeem!
Who will tell them of salvation
And of Calv’ry’s cleansing stream?

Chorus:
Precious souls that long for Jesus.
Will you tell them of His love?
Let me witness, precious Savior
That a soul might look above!

Precious souls that seek the Savior,
That are wand’ring in the night.
Christ will welcome unto glory
He shall make their darkness bright!

Precious souls that seek a purpose
A new purpose, God doth give.
Christ hath changed my life and future
Unto Him I wholly live!

Copyright Miriam Rainwater, April 5, 2005

All rights reserved.

From Psalm 49: 8