Christmas Time

A nation cries, mourning
A kingdom torn apart
The Promise left undone
By the sins they bore

Rachel is heard weeping
Her children are no more
Taken from her this night
Swallowed up in despair

Voices loud can be heard
Crying out for redemption
From all of their souls
Chained down by iniquity

In a calm and silent night
Fulfillment will be found
Through a prophesy foretold
Long ago in ancient days

Kings of a far off land
Would follow a distant star
To discover the sacred truth
To all they were searching for

And angels sing aloud
Of one sent from Heaven
As shepherds watch in awe
Hearing of a newborn king

In a near little village town
Far from lofty palace walls
An infant child born tonight
In a stable made of hay

And in this holy moment
A shadow would be cast
Leading to a wooden cross
Salvation born for us all

Christmas Reality

(this was written a couple of years ago for a Christmas production, keep it mind it was written to be orally presented!)


I remember watching the Grinch Who Stole Christmas, and hearing a word I had never heard.  Superfluous.  Did you ever wonder what superfluous meant? I did, and I looked it up.  It means: exceed what is sufficient and necessary; excessive. It seems that at times we have become a society of excess.  We want more, and don’t seem satisfied with what we have.

A while back I asked people in my local community “If you could have anything, what would you want for Christmas?” I remember hearing some of the responses we received when we asked some people in our community. For some their responses were for things they wanted: money, toys, and things like that.   For others it brought up the ideals that we dream of: peace, love, hope, happiness.   For many however, it brought up the painful reality of their current situations:  families split up, jobs lost, dreams vanished.

I was recently driving to my family’s house for Thanksgiving just a few weeks ago.  On my way, I looked over to the street corner, and there was a man, standing there with a sign that said “homeless, need food.” Here he is, standing there, hungry; begging for food, on a day when we will consume more food than any of us could ever need or want.
How often do we see this?  What goes through our minds as we see them standing there?  How do we respond?  What goes through his mind as we pass him by?  How does he feel?

I am sure as a child he didn’t ever think he would be someone who would have to beg on a street corner.  I’m sure he had greater hopes and dreams; passions and ambition.  But somewhere in this life, his hopes and dreams slipped away…

As we sat eating tacos at Jack in the Box, Dave talked about the hole in his head, the wife that left him for another man, the move to California from Kansas, and life as a homeless man for four years.  As I dropped him off and drove on to eat really good food, I said “God Bless You.”  His respond stuck with me, “He already has through you…”

How often do we find that Christmas is not a time of joy, but of sorrow, stress, and frustration? Maybe it’s a mom and dad, with bills piling up on the desk downstairs. Maybe it’s the single mom, with a low-paying job,  2 kids to take care of. Maybe it’s the older gentleman who waits in the rest home, hoping his family will come by to visit him on Christmas day.   We sing of peace on earth, but don’t talk about the turmoil in our own hearts.

When did this season of joy become a season of parties, recitals, gift exchanges, Christmas programs, specials, shopping, Christmas caroling, travelling, decorating, wrapping, and get-togethers?  The list never seems to end!

For many of us, the rush hides what we may not want to deal with, our present reality.   Christmas too often reminds us of love that has been lost.  A family member no longer with us, or a strained relationship we would love to make right.  Maybe it is the painful reality of the son or daughter who won’t be spending Christmas with you this year, whatever the reason may be.

So we step back and ask ourselves.  What is Christmas all about?  What is it that we really want for Christmas?  What does a homeless man want, who struggles to simply find food for that day?   What is a wife looking for, when she has just lost her best friend after 40 years of marriage?  What does the father really want, who is losing sleep at night over unpaid bills, and unmet needs?  What does the mother really want, whose son is away at war?

When it is all said and done, when the gifts have been opened, when the money has been spent, and when the parties have subsided, where does it leave us, where does it leave you?

“There were sheepherders camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God's angel stood among them and God's glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, "Don't be afraid. I'm here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David's town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you're to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger.”

The message of hope was announced!  And it wasn’t brought to the insiders, but it was first announced to those who felt like outcasts, the overshadowed, the despised, and the ones who had no home.  (Maybe today, he would have appeared to a homeless man.)

Jesus was born in Bethlehem village, Judah territory— this was during Herod's kingship—a group of magi arrived in Jerusalem from the East. They asked around, "Where can we find and pay homage to the newborn King of the Jews? We observed a star in the eastern sky that signaled his birth. We're on pilgrimage to worship him." Instructed by the king, they set off. Then the star appeared again, the same star they had seen in the eastern skies. It led them on until it hovered over the place of the child. They could hardly contain themselves: They were in the right place! They had arrived at the right time!  They entered the stable and saw the child in the arms of Mary, his mother. Overcome, they kneeled and worshiped him. Then they opened their luggage and presented gifts: gold, frankincense, myrrh.

God revealed himself to those who didn’t even fully understand what was taking place.  They had simply seen signs in the heavens that spoke of a king being born.  In their uncertainties they clung to the prophetic promise they saw in the sky, and worshiped Him.  They hold on to the hope  of promised redemption.

The birth of Jesus took place like this. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. Before they were married, Joseph discovered she was pregnant. (It was by the Holy Spirit, but he didn't know that.) Joseph determined to take care of things quietly so Mary would not be disgraced.

While he was trying to figure a way out, he had a dream. God's angel spoke in the dream: "Joseph, son of David, don't hesitate to get married. Mary's pregnancy is of God. God's Holy Spirit has made her pregnant. She will give birth to a son and you will name him Jesus, which means God saves, because he will save his people from their sins."
I am sure Joseph faced many uncertainties about his future.  Joseph had questions about how he was going to provide for his new wife and child, wondering what would become of this little boy that he was going to raise to be a man.  But when the angel visited him, he had peace that God was in it all. (Maybe not unlike a father today trying to take care of his own family.)

The beauty of  Jesus is that this miracle connects his birth to the very struggles we face day in and day it.  He didn’t come as a King or in power, but he came as a helpless infant and right in to the middle of our brokeness to bring redemption.

It brings hope to the homeless man with questions of meaning.  It brings peace to a mother who's son is at was.  It brings love to a widow who is lonely, and it ultimately brings redemption to a broken humanity who's only hope is found in a Cross.

WIllow Tree

Meet me by the willow tree

Where stars dance around

And the moon smiles back

Let us find our way through

This journey of laughter

that brings us  here tonight

For life prances around
from  joy that surrounds us
Spun like a merry go round

Yet it lasts for a minute 

Splashing across the sky

Then quickly fades away

So run through grass fields

Where time disappears

Into a river flowing swiftly

Where fireflies light the way 

In the deep blue twilight 

Caught up in the moment

Hold fast these memories

Buried deep in our hearts

That linger on for eternity 

All TheseThings

songbirds sing

Sounds of joy

To celebrate

morning's new

Symphonies play

Bow and string

To echo loud

Majestic pageantry

Laughter caught

In but a moment

To share pleasure

Of a happy heart

Ballads capture

The melodies

Of romance's

beautiful agonies

And these Things

Reflect to us all

The image of God

Who made us 

Tick Tock

Tick, tock, Tick, Tock, reality fades away
For just a brief moment
We are found in the world wished for.

Hollow men in momentary flight,
From the temporary
Rupture of hope that blinds them.

Escape the penetrating existence
That separates us,
From what we justly struggle after.

Frequently left too blind to notice light,
What now is before our eyes
Unites ideals from disengaged realities.

The disconnect found in our lonely souls
Keeping us eluded time and again
From what we actually intended to be.

It is not beyond our reach to see
As to grab on to tightly
But it’s beyond the courage we need.

Yet the fight lingers for another day
Again in momentary failure
We are wedged between survival and ruin.

So once more no movement will begin
For we are stuck here,
Between reality and the ideal.

Door 320

In my city of thoughts I blur past a few

I can’t get my head on straight enough

To think this through to the end

I try to stop and think about it again

Just trying to stop long enough to catch

The thoughts racing through my mind

Restlessness is the only constant state

I’m finding myself in no other place

To stop for a moment would be bliss

But no bliss is found here this night

All lights are on and all signs say go

As my head spins in every direction

Worries are the lament of my soul

I cry out for any moment of peace

Only left in pieces on the open floor

I look up in the darkness above

Which, if it could reflect upon itself

Would then reveal my own lonely soul

Guilt lives in my mind’s shallow halls

The stained walls left untouched

The dimly lit thoughts that won’t escape

Thoughts of pain, and remorse undone

Chained down by despair’s strong hand

Spent to live these days in the dark

Condemned to dwell in my mind alone

No way of escaping this unholy place

Tenants of pain, condemnation, remorse

Guilt, shame, frustration, worry, doubt

Constant companions to each other

And constant visitors to the way I feel

I find no door knobs here on the inside

Doors do go from my head to my heart

But they stench of the same destruction

I am guilty of letting them in long ago

The thoughts that fester still in my head

They are the guests I brought to dinner

I’ve heard long ago of an ancient way

Of a man who holds keys that set men free

The Master Keyholder to my darkest doors

A key to be found in the form of a Cross

To release me and free me from my sin.

How can one know how to find this man?

                     In a silent moment of never known peace 
                     I hear a steady knock on the outside door

(I hold the keys)

Just Beyond Here

Just up the road is a lonely man
He is searching for a place to call home
His heart is swept up in the emptiness
Of not knowing if he should come or go

Oh Lonely Man, Oh Empty Soul
There is a place to rest
Just beyond here, Just beyond here

In that house is a broken girl
She is wondering what love is
Her mind is caught in the emptiness
Of not knowing whether to live or die

Oh broken girl, Oh broken heart
There is a place to love
Outside of here, Outside of here

Across town is a fractured child
He is asking where hope is
His dreams are lost in desperation
Of worrying about today and tomorrow

Oh fractured faith, Oh splintered child
There is a place to dream again
Not too far here, not too far from here

Up on that hill is a dying man
He is hope and love and peace
In a tomb He is Alive again
Just over here, Just over here

Blood in the Cracks

From blood spilled down in to the cracks
Poured out from nail pierced hands and feet
And a bruised brow of the son of man

All that was broken is made whole again
Hearts become mended as sorrows fade away
Weary souls find rest in a peace lasting forever

For the Son  has taken our shame away.
It is gone, for He remembers it no more
Like a rock tossed in to a sea never seen again

For God's hand stretched out to us
Wiping our tears from the burdens we bore
And He whispers to us they are no more

Grace came down and pardoned our sin
Love poured out in a moment of holy tragedy
When death on a cross set us all free

Good Night

In distant skies with fire flies,
The trees begin to settle down,
As autumn’s night twilight shines,
The moon sits smiling back at me.

The evening light casts a faded glow,
Where shadows begin to spread,
The sun slides down a mountainside;
I arrange to rest all over again.

Unsettled winds breathe swiftly by,
Colors take stage on fragile leaves,
fluttered in gasps of a blustery breeze;
In my heart I’ve settled down to sleep.

Nighttime drapes the sky again,
Staking its claim on landscapes below;
flickers poke through heaven’s terrain.
I am entirely Under quiescent charm.

Sleep tight this restful night.

Lose Control

Waves crash against my sand castle walls

Wind blows across my fragile house of cards

What I have created has left me undone

Yet, Your mercy has met me here

I am ready to lose control

I’ve been wearied by these storms

I’ve been battered by these trials

I am tired of fighting this myself

I’m giving it all to you

The mirror shatters this image I have made

The light reveals the truth I’ve ignored

What I have seen has made me blind

Yet, Your faithfulness keeps me here

I’m ready to lose control

I’ve been battered by these trials

I’ve been wearied by these storms

I am tired of fighting this myself

I’m giving it all to you

I’ve traveled down the valley of shadows

I’ve slept on the doorsteps of despair

I’ve waded through the tears of sorrow

And Your grace has found me here

Faithful

You remain faithful

when the sun doesn’t shine

In the darkest of nights

You remain faithful to me

You remain faithful

When the sun shines

In the brightest of days

You remain faithful

You remain faithful

When pain doesn’t fade

In the hardest of days

You remain faithful to me

You remain faithful

When the pain’s gone away

And my heart’s filled with joy

You  remain faithful

You remain faithful

When the rains come

And the violent storms rage

You remain faithful to me

You remain faithful

The storm will soon pass

And the waves will stand silent

You remain faithful

When the sun shines

And the storms rage

When the wind blows

And I need you there

You remain faithful to me

Burning Inside

I don’t want to see a pillar of fire

from a distance, far away

I don’t want to see a blaze from the sky

Consuming everything around me

I don’t want to see a burning bush

Ignite, only to fade away

Burn inside of me

Fueled by your holiness

Ignited with a holy passion

Let me be a sacrifice

Consuming every part of me

Set me on fire tonight

I don’t want to see your glory

From a distance, far away

I don’t want to see your wonders

Consuming everything around me

I don’t want to see a passion

Ignite, only to fade away

Burn inside of me

Fuel me with  your holiness

Ignite me  with a holy passion

Let me be a sacrifice

Consuming every part of me

Set me on fire tonight

Men on FIre

One was burning with rage.  Bitterness was the fuel to fan his flame.  Nothing could put it out.  His one desire was revenge.  The sins of others made him a single minded man on a mission of blood and death.  He saw this is the only way of redemption for the sins of others.  Hatred burned in his heart for the others who caused such pain.  There was no stopping until the wrong had been avenged.  

Revenge never was sweet.  Revenge never sees redemption.

One was burning with love.  Compassion was the fuel to His fire.  His desire was redemption for all who needed life beyond death.  It would be His blood sacrificed in death.   He burned as a sacrifice in place of those who should have been in his place.  He would take revenge on no one, instead becoming our Salvation.

Love covered our sin.  Compassion breeds Redemption.

One was burning with passion.   He was changed by the redemption of the One.  He was covered in the blood of the lamb, no longer ruled by death, because of the redemption of the One.   Humility and redemption fuels the flame of passion. Impacting any around who will catch the fire.  He is an extension of the One who covered his sins.  And now he holds the fire out for all to see. 

Love brings Passion.  Redemption sets us on fire.