A Christmas Poem on Sin and Redemption

I have quoted the final two lines in each of the second, fourth, seventh and ninth stanzas below from "The Holly and the Ivy," a fifteenth-century English carol. The quotation in the fifth stanza below is from verse 15 in chapter 1 of the First Epistle of Paul the Apostle to Timothy (King James Version).

From the letters of

The name of what month can be

Formed a word of six

Letters that means "to free from

The consequences of sin"?

From the letters of

The name DECEMBER can be

Formed the word REDEEM.

"And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ

To be our sweet Saviour."

From the letters of

The name DECEMBER can be

Formed a verb of six

Letters that means "from sin and

Damnation to deliver."

From the letters of

The name DECEMBER can be

Formed the verb REDEEM.

"And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ

To do poor sinners good."

"This is a faithful

Saying, and worthy of all

Acceptation," wrote

Paul, "that Christ Jesus came into

The world to save sinners."

From the letters of

The name DECEMBER can be

Formed a word of six

Letters that means "to free from

The consequences of sin."

From the letters of

The name DECEMBER can be

Formed the word REDEEM..

"And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ

On Christmas in the morn."

From the letters of

The name DECEMBER can be

Formed a verb of six

Letters that means "from sin and

Damnation to deliver>"

From the letters of

The name DECEMBER can be

Formed the verb REDEEM.

"And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ

For to redeem us all."

A Brainteaser and a Biblical Quotation

A communications code word of seven letters and a chiefly Scottish word of four letters have two letters in common. The fourth letter in the communications code word is the same as the third letter in the chiefly Scottish word, and the second letter in the chiefly Scottish word, the Scots' word for church, is the same as the sixth letter in the communications code word. What are that seven-letter communications code word and that four-letter, chiefly Scottish word for church?

To read the answer to this brainteaser, click here  for the communications code word and here for the chiefly Scottish word.

From Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus,

called to be an apostle

and set apart for God's good news. . . .

To those in Rome

who are dearly loved by God

and called to be God's people.

(Common English Bible: Romans 1:1, 7)

Easter, the Day of Resurrection: Mary Magdalene

Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene

John 20:11-16

But Mary stood without at the sepulcher weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulcher, and saw two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. And they said unto her, "Woman, why weepest thou?" She said unto them, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him." And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.

Jesus said unto her, "Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou?" She, supposing him to be the gardener, said unto him, "Sir, if thou hast borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away." Jesus said unto her, "Mary." She turned herself, and said unto him, . . . "Master." 

Mary Magdalene

by Richard Burton

At dawn she sought the Saviour slain,

To kiss the spot where he had lain

And weep warm tears, like springtime rain;

When lo, there stood, unstained of death,

A man that spoke with low sweet breath;

And "Master!" Mary answereth.

From out the far and fragrant years

How sweeter than the songs of seers

That tender offering of tears!

Monday in Holy Week

MONDAY IN HOLY WEEK

by Christina Rossetti (1830-1894)

"The Voice of my Beloved."

Once I ached for thy dear sake:

Wilt thou cause Me now to ache?

Once I bled for thee in pain:

Wilt thou rend My Heart again?

Crown of thorns and shameful tree,

Bitter death I bore for thee,

Bore My Cross to carry thee,

And wilt thou have nought of Me?

Concerning Anger and Murder: A Found Poem

A Poem of Jesus Christ

from The New English Bible (1970):

Matthew 5:21-22

You have learned that our forefathers were told,

"Do not commit murder;

anyone who commits murder

must be brought to judgement."

But what I tell you is this:

Anyone who nurses anger

against his brother

must be brought to judgement.

If he abuses his brother

he must answer for it to the court;

if he sneers at him

he will have to answer for it

in the fires of hell.

Cover of The New English Bible

Look

In "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten" (1986), the essay of his that became a classic, Robert Fulghum wrote in part, "And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned -- the biggest word of all -- LOOK." In his poem "The Starlight Night" (reprinted below) Gerard Manley Hopkins used the word look seven times.

THE STARLIGHT NIGHT

by Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844-1889)

Look at the stars! look, look up at the skies!

    O look at all the fire-folk sitting in the air!

    The bright boroughs, the circle-citadels there!

Down in dim woods the diamond delves! the elves'-eyes!

The grey lawns cold where gold, where quickgold lies!

    Wind-beat whitebeam! airy abeles set on a flare!

    Flake-doves sent floating forth at a farmyard scare! --

Ah well! it is all a purchase, all is a prize.

Buy then! bid then! -- What? -- Prayer, patience, alms, vows.

Look, look: a May-mess, like on orchard boughs!

    Look! March-bloom, like on mealed-with-yellow sallows!

These are indeed the barn; withindoors house

The shocks. This piece-bright paling shuts the spouse

    Christ home, Christ and his mother and all his hallows.

The Final Say: "An Eye for an Eye"

Read "'Turn the Other Cheek': A Poem of Jesus Christ."

An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind. --Mahatma Gandhi

That old law about "an eye for an eye" leaves everybody blind. The time is always right to do the right thing. --Martin Luther King, Jr.

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While by My Sheep

WHILE BY MY SHEEP

The text of an anonymous Christmas hymn,

from the German

(Read Luke 2:15-20.)

While by my sheep I watched at night,

Glad tidings brought an angel bright.

How great my joy! Great my joy!

Joy, joy, joy! Joy, joy, joy!

Praise we the Lord in heaven on high!

Praise we the Lord in heaven on high!

There shall be born, so he did say,

In Bethlehem a Child today;

How great my joy! Great my joy!

Joy, joy, joy! Joy, joy, joy!

Praise we the Lord in heaven on high!

Praise we the Lord in heaven on high!

There shall the Child lie in a stall,

This Child who shall redeem us all.

How great our joy! Great our joy!

Joy, joy,joy! Joy, joy, joy!

Praise we the Lord in heaven on high!

Praise we the Lord in heaven on high!

This gift of God we'll cherish well,

That ever joy our hearts shall fill.

How great our joy! Great our joy!

Joy, joy, joy! Joy, joy, joy!

Praise we the Lord in heaven on high!

Praise we the Lord in heaven on high!

What Shall We Children Bring?

 The text of an anonymous, untitled hymn from The Book of Praise for Children (1881) reads:

The wise may bring their learning,

The rich may bring their wealth,

And some may bring their greatness,

And some bring strength and health;

We, too, would bring our treasures

To offer to the King;

We have no wealth or learning:

What shall we children bring?

We'll bring Him hearts that love Him;

We'll bring Him thankful praise,

And young souls meekly striving

To walk in holy ways:

And these shall be the treasures

We offer to the King,

And these are gifts that even

The poorest child may bring.

We'll bring the little duties

We have to do each day;

We'll try our best to please Him,

At home, at school, at play:

And better are these treasures

To offer to our King,

Than richest gifts without them;

Yet these a child may bring.

Yet what I can I give Him,

Give my heart.

(from "A Christmas Carol" by Christina Rossetti)

I Have Lost My Younger Brother

I HAVE LOST MY YOUNGER BROTHER 

After Luke 15:18-19 and 21

(New King James Version)

My younger brother is

An abusive, arrogant rogue.

He has sinned and has sinned even more

Against heaven and before me,

And he is no longer worthy

To be called my brother.

The crimes he has committed against me 

Over a period of many years

Include assault and battery,

Theft and vandalism.

Is there a limit to the number

Of crimes he would commit against me?

My younger brother is

An abusive, arrogant rogue.

He has sinned and has sinned even more 

Against heaven and in my sight,

And is no longer worthy

To be called my brother.

Matthew 18:21-22

(New King James Version)

Then Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?"

Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven."

A portrait of my kid brother R. (which could stand for rogue),

the (childish) brother whom I have lost

(Photo copyright 2005 Evelyn M. Gilmer)

The Opposite of What Illumines Life

A found poem. The quotations in the sixth, seventh and eighth stanzas are 1 John 1:5-7, 1 John 4:7-8 and Psalms 18:28 from the Common English Bible (2011).

What Is the Opposite of Love?

Martin Luther King, Jr., wrote,

"Hatred darkens life; love illumines it."

To darken is the opposite

of to illumine, but

is hatred, or is hate, indeed

the opposite of love?

Rollo May once wrote, "Hate

is not the opposite of love;

apathy is."

According to Elie Wiesel,

"The opposite of love

is not hate, it's indifference."

Does apathy

as well as hatred, does

indifference

as well as hatred, darken life?

It is the opposite of love,

whatever that may be,

that darkens life. It is

love that illumines life.

God Is Both Light and Love

John in his First Letter wrote, "This

is the message that we have heard from [Christ]

and announce to you: 'God is light

and there is no darkness in him at all.'

If we claim, 'We have fellowship with him,'

and live in the darkness,

we are lying

and do not act truthfully.

But if we live in the light

in the same way as he is in the light,

we have fellowship with each other,

and the blood of Jesus, his Son,

cleanses us from every sin."

John in that Letter also wrote, "Dear friends,

let's love each other,

because love is from God,

and everyone who loves

is born from God and knows God.

The person who doesn't love

does not know God,

because God is love."

God is, as David sang

in Psalm 18, "the one

who lights my lamp --

the LORD my God

illumines my darkness."

It is the opposite of God,

whatever that may be,

that darkens life. It is

God who illumines life.

This poem, which I have revised and updated for this post,

was first published in the June 2, 2023, edition of

my free email newsletter Hugh's Views: The Old Elway Reader

(now called The Old Elway Reader 2) on Substack.

God So Loved the World: A Poem of Jesus Christ

"The giver makes the gift precious." --Anonymous

GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD

A Poem of Jesus Christ

A found poem from the Bible: John 3:16-21

(Revised Standard Version)

God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,

that whoever believes in him should not perish

but have eternal life.

For God sent the Son into the world,

not to condemn the world,

but that the world might be saved through him.

He who believes in him is not condemned;

he who does not believe is condemned already,

because he has not believed in the name

of the only Son of God.

And this is the judgment,

that the light has come into the world,

and men loved darkness rather than light,

because their deeds were evil.

For every one who does evil hates the light,

and does not come to the light,

lest his deeds should be exposed.

But he who does what is true comes to the light,

that it may be clearly seen

that his deeds have been wrought in God.

Man Does Not Live by Bread Alone

As God has shown us by turning stones to bread,

So we all must lend a helping hand.

     --from the song "We Are the World" by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And he fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread." But he answered, "It is written,

    'Man shall not live by bread alone,

     but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'"

     --The Bible: Matthew 4:1-4 (Revised Standard Version)

Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the LORD,

    at the presence of the God of Jacob,

who turns the rock into a pool of water,

    the flint into a spring of water.

     --The Bible: Psalm 114:7-8 (Revised Standard Version)

I saw a stable, low and very bare

I saw a stable, low and very bare,

A little child in a manger.

The oxen knew Him, had Him in their care.

To men He was a stranger.

The safety of the world was lying there,

And the world's danger.

     --Mary Elizabeth Coleridge

 Mary Elizabeth Coleridge (1861-1907)

A Better Way of "Extending Yourself"

Here is a 2-minute meditation from 365 Windows (1960) by Halford E. Luccock.

Do nothing from selfishness or conceit,

but in humility count others better than yourselves.

Let each of you look not only to his own interests,

but also to the interests of others.

Have this mind among yourselves,

which is yours in Christ Jesus.

--Philippians 2:3-5 (Revised Standard Version)

     We often hear the phrase "extended himself." It often describes an exceptionally fine performance, such as an athletic event, or making a speech, for instance. Sometimes the words suggest other meanings. A man may "extend himself" like an octopus, reaching out his tentacles to snatch some advantages from someone else. Strongly acquisitive people remind us of a long claw reaching out to snatch.

     There is a better way of "extending yourself." It is the extension of the perceiving, experiencing, and sharing self. Jesus wanted people to extend themselves into other lives, beyond the walls of their own comfort and gain.

     Help us, O God, to remember the plea of Jesus that we be concerned for others as well as ourselves. Amen. 

Increase Our Faith

In the King James Bible, Luke 17:5 reads, "And the apostles said unto the Lord, 'Increase our faith.'" The poem below is the Lord's reply to the apostles.

AND THE LORD SAID UNTO THE APOSTLES

A Poem of Jesus Christ

A found poem from the Bible:

Luke 17:6 (King James Version)

If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed,

ye might say unto this sycamine tree,

"Be thou plucked up by the root,

and be thou planted in the sea";

and it should obey you.

Note: The sycamine is a tree of the Bible that is usually considered a mulberry (Morus nigra).

Sycamine tree in the Land of Israel

The Reality of the Love of God

 Jesus said, "This is my commandment,

that you love one another as I have loved you.

Greater love has no man than this,

that a man lay down his life for his friends."

--The Bible: John 15:12-13

(Revised Standard Version)

An American tourist traveling in Palestine was fond of telling of what he called "the miracle" at Nazareth. He was surrounded by the usual crowds of roadside merchants selling souvenirs. He felt that this yelling, pushing crowd everywhere was a terrible nuisance. But one woman surprised him. She said, "Buy something from the woman over there. She hasn't sold anything all day." Such love and sympathy was something new. He said, "Such unselfishness makes me believe in the love of Christ who grew up in Nazareth." Our unselfish acts do more to convince onlookers of the reality of the love of God than many words could do.

Help us to remember, O God, that it is by our acts that we bear witness to thy love. Amen.

--Halford E. Luccock in his book 365 Windows (1960),

a collection of 2-minute meditations for daily use

Pastor Keith Marshall on Religious Exemption

 If you consider yourself a Christian, what does your faith in Jesus Christ exempt you from? Read Pastor Keith Marshall's answer to that question in the photo below. Click on the photo to open an enlargement of it.

(Photo posted by Lori Townsend Dropik on Facebook

on September 23, 2021)

A Christmas Prayer

O Holy Child of Bethlehem,

Descend to us, we pray;

Cast out our sin and enter in;

Be born in us today!

We hear the Christmas angels

The great glad tidings tell;

O come to us, abide with us,

Our Lord Emmanuel!

--Phillips Brooks (1835-1893)

 

Break Forth, O Beauteous, Heavenly Light

Break forth, O beauteous, heavenly light,

And usher in the morning;

O shepherds, greet that glorious sight,

Our Lord a crib adorning.

This child, this little helpless boy,

Shall be our confidence and joy,

The power of Satan breaking,

Our peace eternal making.

--Johann Rist (1607-1667);

   anonymous English translation from the German