I’m happy to be a writer – of prose, poetry, every kind of writing. Every person in the world who isn’t a recluse, hermit or mute uses words. I know of no other art form that we always use. ~Maya Angelou
Words
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Tag Archives: poetry
The Big Reveal
“Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”
(which means, God with us).
When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.” Matthew 1:18-25
Truth is revealed by God alone
Can’t take the virgin’s word
She’s too young.
An angel comes instead
“Joseph, Son of David
You’re going to be a Dad
Of miracle begun
Your wife will bear
A son.
Holy Spirit seed
Is growing
Is holy
Is now
‘God With Us.’
Don’t be afraid.
You’ve done nothing wrong.
Innocent is she.
Please take her home.
Guard and love her
And
‘Trust in the Lord
With all your heart
And lean not on your own
Understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him
And He will make your paths straight.’
And be sure to name your little one
Jesus
For He will save his people from
Their sins.”
Truth is revealed by God alone.
A babe receives
Through water and the Word
The saving name of Jesus
In Triune unity.
‘God With Us’
Immanuel
Now resides within her breast,
Her genesis of faith begun.
All glory be to God the Father
All glory be to God the Son
All glory be to God the Spirit
Named us as sons and daughters
To live with Him as One.
Truth revealed by God alone
To Joseph
To you
To me.
God is with us.
~LJ
Lord God Heavenly Father, thank you for revealing Your Son Jesus Christ first through the angel who spoke to Joseph and then to us through our Baptism. Thank you for giving us the eyes of faith to see what miracle of life has taken place through simple water and Your Holy Word. Just as the big reveal changed Joseph and Mary’s lives forever, so too our lives are forever changed and we are awed. We take our place in the lineup of sons and daughters of the King of King and Lord of Lords. Forgive us when fail to live as Your sons and daughters. Grant us your peace. In the name of Jesus, Immanuel, God With Us, Amen.
Art
“This is uncanny, Lord:
a rutted sandy road
running through grass
to a railroad crossing,
a semaphore
against a blue sky
and a white cloud,
a little water color
on a piece of rough paper.
I’ve seen this all a thousand times,
but here it is,
trapped and alive and held:
the golden hue of every glorious summer day,
the everlasting simple grass and sand and sky,
a bit of the first morning,
when the morning stars sang together
and the sons of God shouted for joy.
Adam could walk across this railroad track
and eve, still nude and unashamed.
Uncanny is hardly the word for it;
call it a miracle.
I thank you Lord
for the miracle
of this artist’s eye of innocence,
this deep adoration of Your handiwork
that lets me look upon Your world again
as once Your Son could look
on lilies of the field
growing in Galilee.”
Prayer by Martin H. Franzmann, Pray for Joy
A Citizen’s Prayer
Photo by Laura Jostes
“Purge us, O God,
of cynical distrust,
of party passion,
of the deafness
of our rebellious bent.
Teach us, O Lord, the meekness
that would rather be deceived
than be encrusted
with perpetual distrust.
Teach the charity
that will interpret
all uncertainties
toward the side of goodness.
Create in our world
an air in which
the truth can freely breathe,
a sea on which
the ships of truth can sail,
an earth on which
the feet of truth can walk unhurt.
Your Son, our Lord,
would not speak ill of Caesar
even when Caesar’s power
nailed Him to the cross.
Give us the Spirit of Your Son.”
For Jesus’ sake we pray, Amen
~Prayer by Martin H. Franzmann, Pray For Joy
“Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good… Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men…Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:9, 17-18, 21
A Prayer
O God, O Lord of heaven and earth, thy living finger never wrote
That life should be an aimless mote, a deathward drift from futile birth.
Thy word meant life triumphant hurled through every cranny of Thy world.
Since light awoke and life began, Thou hast desired Thy life for man.
Our fatal will to equal Thee, our rebel will, wrought death and night.
We seized and used in Thy despite Thy wondrous gifts of liberty.
We housed us in this house of doom, where death had royal scope and room,
Until Thy Servant Prince of Peace breached all its walls for our release.
Thou camest to our hall of death, O Christ, to breathe our poisoned air,
To drink for us the dark despair that strangles man’s reluctant breath.
How beautiful the feet that trod the road that leads us back to God!
How beautiful the feet that ran to bring the great good news to man!
O Spirit, who didst once restore Thy Church, that it might be again
The bringer of good news to men, breathe on Thy cloven church once more,
That in these gray latter days there may be men whose life is praise,
Each life a high doxology to Father, Son and unto Thee. Amen.
~Hymn by Martin H. Franzmann
This prayer-hymn speaks of the ways God works in the world that He created, redeemed, and is restoring unto Himself. We are created by Him, redeemed through His Son Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit and now sent to share this Good News with others.
Blessings on your day!
LJ
Joy
You put me on the stretch, O God.
You do me the honor of putting me to the test
as You once tested our Father Abraham.
You bid me do the impossible:
not only to endure
the tempering heat of trial
but to rejoice in it–impossible!
But Your Son did not find it impossible
when You tried Him with failure.
He rejoiced in the Holy Spirit
and gave thanks to You
when You took from Him
the wise and understanding
and revealed Him only to babes,
to the inconsequential little ones
in whom Your love delights.
Your servant Paul found it possible.
Your servant James found it possible.
And You are my Father just as You are theirs.
I thank You for all proofs of Fatherhood.
I thank You for the trials I meet.
Give me the heart to meet them unafraid,
to joy in them as I rejoice in You. Amen.
Prayer by Martin H. Franzmann, Pray For Joy
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” James 1:2-4
Remembering on this day the trials that began in New York 15 years ago….
Rid us, O Lord
Rid us, O Lord,
of the arrogant delusion
that our age is
harder to live in,
harder to live through
and be decent in
than any age
that ever was,
that we are being tried
as our fathers never were,
that we have more excuse
for our neurotic screaming,
our pitiful muddling,
our sentimental slobbering,
our pinching terror
at the shadows of the future
cast upon our way
than any men who ever walked
beneath Your heaven
and on Your earth.
Teach us, O Lord,
by Your sane and steadying Word
that we stand before You
as we always stood,
living of Your grace
and moving toward Your judgment,
that the Bomb
and the terrible technological trifles
of our time
have not altered
the great,
plain,
steady fact
that You are Lord
and have not changed
the blessed time
of Your coming
as a thief in the night.
Prayer by Martin H. Franzmann from Pray for Joy
“Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good. Dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:1-4
Steady
Psalm 40:1-5
I waited patiently for God to help me; then he listened and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out from the bog and the mire, and set my feet on a hard, firm path, and steadied me as I walked along.
He has given me a new song to sing, of praises to our God. Now many will hear of the glorious things he did for me, and stand in awe before the Lord, and put their trust in him.
Many blessings are given to those who trust the Lord and have no confidence in those who are proud or who trust in idols.
O Lord my God, many and many a time you have done great miracles for us, and we are ever in your thoughts. Who else can do such glorious things? No one else can be compared with you. There isn’t time to tell of all your wonderful deeds.
Lord God, many are the cries for help that are rising to you this day. Cries from Italy. Cries from Louisiana. Cries from hospitals. Cries from the lonely in their homes. Lord, have mercy. Hear our prayers for Jesus’ sake and come to our aid that we might in turn tell of the wondrous ways that you have delivered us. We give you praise for saving us from the deep pit of sin through your Son Jesus Christ who gave His life for us. You have set our feet firm on the Rock of our salvation through faith. Steady us as we go through this day. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
God’s Face
“‘“The Lord bless you
and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you
and give you peace.”’
Numbers 6: 24-26
Lord God, thank You for turning Your face towards us through Your Son Jesus Christ who always kept His face turned on You. Even on the Cross when You turned away from Him because He was covered with the filth of all our sins He turned to You and asked You to forgive us. And You did. We don’t deserve anything good from Your Hand, but because of Jesus You lavish upon us Your never ending goodness and mercy and love. How great is Your love for us! May we share Your peace with those we meet this day. For Jesus’ sake we pray, Amen.
Lost and Found
Image by Matt Dalrymple
Country lost in the red white and blue
Too many people walking in the shades of gray to notice colors bright
Beckoning eyes to see beyond hatred
And prejudice
To truly see in those around them those whom God has created.
Country lost in the red white and blue
Desperately seeking peace and prosperity
In the promises of mere men
Who stand before them
As answers to their empty pockets and empty souls.
Country lost in the red white and blue
Look to the One
Who alone provides for sparrows as well as kings.
Whose Wisdom reaches down from the Heavens
Whose love and mercy never end.
Country lost in the red white and blue
See the Cross where the Savior bled
And appeared abandoned by one and all.
The weak resignation
Belied the power wherein
The Son of God battled with sin and death and the evil one
And won
Freedom for the red white and blue
For all who believe that “greater is He who is within us
Than he who is in the world.”
Our God reigns
No matter the color of the flag
No matter the left or the right
No matter whether you believe or not
Our God reigns
And will keep the world spinning until
He comes again.
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