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