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