THE LEAVING OF DECEMBER 1999

I closed my eyes and so soon it was gone
Like some fair-weather friend whom I remember fond
But for no special reason other than I met it on the way
To another year, the next century and a new day

A quiet moment to reflect upon tonight
A new entry in the diary we call life
Closing the door but never forgetting
The memories that always lie behind - in waiting

The ravages of war, the crimes of injustice
Man's desire to rule the world, or just a small part of it
They sit uneasily beside our attempts at reconciliation
As we display respect for every class, creed and nation

The times I recall are outnumbered by the days misplaced
A hazy overview where all but essential detail has been erased
To be exchanged for mountains of factual knowledge acquired
About days and years before my first breath had expired

And so the celebrations begin again
Hailing a new dawn - a new millennium
Promising to learn from two thousand years of mistakes
And making the world a better if somewhat smaller place

And tomorrow that is where I shall hope to be
At the crossroads where millennium meets century
Looking back on all my successes, failures and moments of indecision
Marking time and focusing on my twenty first century vision

And what will He have made of all this ceremonial commemoration
The One on whom we base our faith and time, but not always our adoration
A thousand years is like the passing of a single day in His eyes
And thus He easily remembers the intimate detail of all our lives

And what will He have made of all my years of existence
The times I waited on Him or wasted on some selfish commitment
To have wandered in the wilderness when I could see the oasis
To have drunk from His cup but filled it from other places

So strikes the midnight bell in some silhouetted church tower
Signalling a millennium celebration as we drink the last drops of December
And in the heavens where time is still an embryo
God left His throne to come to earth only a couple of days ago

WILL

My will
Leaving a note
All that I am
To some other folk

They will
Likely contest
Somebody's name
Who should have got less

Pigs will
Probably fly
Before some people
Open their eyes

You will
Not wait so long
Maybe tomorrow
Which may never come

Free will
What we possess
A free gift
Costing too much

God's will
A plan for your life
Too bad
That you remain blind

CHRISTMAS

Christmas is:
Singing carols around the tree in the village
Buying the turkey for the dinner
Plum pudding and Brussel sprouts
Getting up at 4 o'clock to open presents
Going to parties
A nice open fire
Getting presents from your friends
Pushing through queues in town
Brightly decorated shop windows
Visiting grannies and grandas
Seeing cousins, uncles and aunties
Eating too much food
Snowflake patterns on the window
When the electricity goes off
Drinking hot chocolate
Clay pigeon shooting or the big hunt
Putting on a nativity play at school
Santa coming on his sleigh
Christmas crackers and decorating the house
Lights and music in the town
Counting the Christmas trees in the houses along the road
Getting off school

Christmas is:
Spending time with your family
Being kind to each other
Remembering those who have less than ourselves
Visiting the elderly and those who are ill
A time of loneliness or sadness
Remembering long lost friends

Christmas is:
Church bells ringing
Reminding us of why we have Christmas
When the shepherds found the baby
And rejoiced with Mary and Joseph
In the stable

Christmas is:
Joy, peace and love
Thinking about angels
A time to celebrate
The birth of our Saviour
And never forget
What Christmas is

PLANNED

I felt so helpless
The night the lights went out
Since all my evening planning
Had not allowed
For an interruption
In the power supply demand

And there I sat
In the midst of a sea
Of power crazy devices
All silenced by another greater power
Beyond our control or choices

I could have endured the darkness and the silence
The alternative lifestyle which demanded
Less of my time but more of my brain
Until I looked out of the window
At the light speckled countryside
And wished I could be like that again

But then I remembered in my dimly lit world
That this moment had been planned to be
From the beginning of time
Like every other day in my short history
The good and the bad , the rough and the smooth
Were controlled by the Creator's eye

A NATION ONCE AGAIN

A nation once again
Wipes a tear
At the senseless slaughter of little lives
Not old enough to understand their fear

A nation once again
Bows its head
At the tangled mess called living
Which public figures have displayed

A nation once again
Feels the shame
Of a once proud country so divided
Now only respected in name

A nation once again
Tries to find
A common strand of agreement
Through divided political minds

A nation once again
Ponders why
Terrible things are allowed to happen
When God is on our side

A nation once again
Never sees
That the churches with their towers and spires
Have too many empty seats

A nation once again
We'll only be
When the God who made our country Great
Becomes head of our destiny

WHEN REVIVAL COMES

When revival comes
God's Spirit will move mysteriously
Across the land
Stopping at many addresses
We , in our wildest dreams
Would not have planned

When revival comes
It always begins in the hearts of those
Who earnestly seek Him
And not in the grandeur of buildings
Or theological minds , where He
Is not welcome

When revival comes
It comes to those who wait patiently
On the Son
Who are found in the place of prayer
Getting ready for
When revival comes

When revival comes
Our churches will be filled
To overflowing
As prayer and praise are offered
To the all knowing
Saviour of the world

When revival comes
It will be good to pray
With the believers
And spend time searching the Word
For messages
From the Redeemer

When revival comes
Each hymn will be filled
With inspired phrases
And no longer will we look
For guidance and direction
In other places

HATS

There were reds and greens
And shades of blue
Flowers and bows
And feathers too
Some had brims
And some had veils
With patterns
Delicately detailed

And it was clearly evident
Much time and money had been spent
In knowing which design to choose
To match the handbag,coat and shoes
And yet to find some novel form
That no one else had ever worn
To be a major talking point
While chewing on the Sunday joint

And there they sit and frown at me
Because of what I choose to be
Explaining that it does offend
To worship with uncovered head
I'm sorry that I didn't know
My dress could just annoy them so
I didn't come to see the view
I only came to worship You

NOT TOO SURE

I'm not too sure what God wants me to do
Though I've prayed and fasted
Like all good Christians should
Searching through each verse for the slightest hint
Making sure that my next step is no accident
But life is not just painted black and white
When you're going grey and the rest is falling out
Why is it that each passing year I find
A less important issue clogs my mind?
And every new suggestion that He makes
Appears to be in conflict with my present state
It worries me that I still do not know
When some live by tomorrow's horoscope
So I really want to find His will for me
Provided He will then just leave me be!

CALCULATIONS

Twelve baskets , add twelve tribes
Subtract the Laws on Mount Sinai
Divide by Isaac's loving sons
Jacob and Esau were their names
Times the loaves and plus the fish
Then add the crosses on the hill
If you're following the test
You've reached the years in the wilderness
But now its time to move along
Take off the journeys of St Paul
And add the stones which David had
To fight the giant man from Gath
Now take the sons of Zebedee
To multiply your answer please
Add on the dips which Naaman took
To cleanse him in the Jordan brook
Now add the digits that you find
Times Noah's family safe inside
The end is very soon to come
But first subtract all Jesse's sons
Divide by all the types of ground
The farmer threw the seed around
Add on the churches to which John wrote
In his vision in the final book
Remove the days that God did use
To make the earth that we abuse
To get the answer that you wish
Times Jonah's days inside the fish
The answer that I hope you find
To all your sums is ninety nine
But one is still outside the fold
Lost and wandering , all alone
The shepherd wants to bring you home
If you He seeks than let Him know

ALL THE SAME

I didn't understand a word she said
But I knew what she meant
Speaking in an unfamiliar way
Yet in tones of clear intent
Waving loose arms in the sky
And the pleading voice
Distorting the nose and eyes
In a crescendo of noise
Children are all the same
Sleeping or crying
Playing their own version of the game
And not realising
That we were once children too
And know all their methods
Living by the same set of rules
Our parents had set us
And Jesus loved the little children
For deep down He knew
That their minds were still uncluttered
From an earthly point of view
And Jesus loved the little children
And so must I
Remember that they're just a child
With a simple view of life

COMMUNION

Lord don't let this cup pass
Until I've spent with You a quiet time
Chewing upon the truth of Your broken body
Symbolised in the bread and the wine
Let not the silence of this moment distract me
Or take my mind to other places
When I can feast with the fruit of the Vine
And understand what Your love and grace is
Search the hidden corners of my being
And brush away the wood that has died
So that we may walk in sweet communion
Towards the gardens of Paradise

THEORIES

In the beginning God created
And Darwin speculated
That the man whom God had specially made
Was once no smarter than the apes
And animals just sprouted wings
While fish began to walk on limbs
What took men years to theorise
God completed in six days
Yet still we are no further on
For dogs still walk and fish still swim
So if you doubt , remember long
That God's still here and Darwin's gone

NEW CHURCH

Last night I went to a different church
Where everyone waved their hands in the air
And I felt out of place
When warmly embraced
By a tattooed lady with streaked red hair
Where Levis ruled and people smiled
Happy to see me come inside
And the preacher spoke in warning tones
Impinging on my comfort zones
Where repetitious words had gone
Replaced by prayer and worship songs
And looking round I wondered still
If this was too good to be real
Till 'round the table all were met
To drink the wine and break the bread
And then I knew He didn't mind
The way we looked but what's inside

DENOMINATIONS

Denominations
A way of bending God's rules
To suit ourselves
So that we can love Him
With heart,soul,mind and strength
And our neighbour as ourselves
But only if they belong to our
Denominations
Each with its own concrete interpretation
Of Scripture
And an answer to every question
Which seeks to clarify their correctness
At the expense of slightly
Damning all other
Denominations
We can't all be right
God knows

TO THE MINISTER

Responsibility is in your hands
Where others fell
You must stand
For what you believe
And
Never deceive
Yourself
Or those around you
I wouldn't be in your shoes
Though others think
They could fill them better
But then they reason from
A different point of view
Not accounting
For the route
God has planned for you
I wouldn't be in your shoes
But I understand the steps you're taking

SUIT YOURSELF

A man in a suit
Arrived at my door
He promised the earth
But he wasn't so sure
Just when he'd deliver
His part of the deal
If I didn't vote for
My local MP

A man with a suitcase
Arrived at my door
With a potion to clean all
From ceiling to floor
But when I was through
With this little orator
There were five different liquids
And three applicators

A man covered in soot
Arrived at my door
With the latest in hi-tec
For cleaning my fire
By the time he was finished
There was soot in my tea
So I needed the potion
And my local MP

So when someone comes knocking
And selling their wares
If it doesn't suit you
Don't open the door
For some of the time
Your heart will be gladdened
But most of the time
You'll be wishing you hadn't

Another man stood there
Outside my door
He kept on knocking
For many a year
But I was now careful
And waited too long
Then when it suited
His offer was gone

STAINED GLASS WINDOW

The sun shone in through the stained glass window
Creating a kaleidoscopic image of the Shepherd
Upon a freshly painted wall
And from my humble position across the church
I could see the Light of the world in all His glory
Until the rain began to fall
And the sun was reduced to a supporting role
Overshadowed by slow moving clouds

The moon came out again tonight
As a small white haze
Struggling to be seen behind a mass of grey and black
Like a torch shining through the bedclothes
And only the headlights of arriving cars
On the stained glass window
Brought fleeting glimpses of the shepherd
To remind me what I had always knownThat He was there all the time

ANYONE FOR POLO

Anyone for Polo
That much downtrodden sweet
Abandoned in a Sunday suit
Alone throughout the week
Not shown to guests at dinner
Nor offered after eight
Forgotten , isolated
A lower class of taste
But come the Sabbath morning
It soon takes centre stage
To stop a child in full flight
And cool a reddening face
Enough in every packet
To pass along the pew
No sticky papers to unwrap
No centres to chew through
Inserted just in time to catch
The sermon's opening phrase
Discretely introduced in prayer
When all eyes should be closed
Sometimes it lasts the whole way through
Sometimes you reach the hole
And then the preacher might announce
"Just two more points to go"
So special yet so simple
Not just a Sunday treat
There's a message in there somewhere
From the saviour of all sweets

MY TEXT TODAY

Sometimes it amazes me
That even in a three point sermon
Some hearts remain unpricked
But then we've had years of practice
Building impregnable barriers
That even the latest missile won't break
I think it's going to take an earthquake
Or some more personal disaster
To damage those foundations
Or maybe they're just waiting around
For some of us to provide a personal invitation

MY SON

I love my son in a way
That he can't comprehend
For when I say 'I love you'
He doesn't understand
That the love he shows his father
As great as it might be
Will never match the depth of love
That he receives from me

I love him when he's sleeping
So peaceful and so good
I love him when he's naughty
Or simply being rude
I love him when he hates me
Or starts to call me names
Or when his room is in a mess
I love him just the same

And so I find it easy
To understand the pain
That God went through at Calvary
To offer up His Son
But why He'd want to do it
When He was in control
The only reason I can find
Is that He loves me so