Good Friday Poems

To Set Apart

I come here, looking like I’m ready to give my heart,
But it’s not a destination; it’s just a landmark.
I can come bringing incense to this altar,
But back at home, I practically live at another.

I come laying down my soul, but I keep back a part,
My own little slice that can keep in the dark.
I could bring it to light, each time I falter,
But instead I choose to remain undercover.

There’s a God who has loved me from the start, 
A Light who came even though the world was so dark.
His sacrifice the course of history would alter.
To call a people to Himself, he would die and suffer.

I was made for a higher calling, to be set apart,
To be different, within the void, a spark. 

He endured the hand’s stinging smart,
And their ridicule as a mocked monarch.
He came to the world He created, He came to His own.
Rejected, by those who should have made Him a king at home.

As He gave up His spirit, the temple curtain was torn apart.
He finished the journey from which Heaven he left to embark.
So, God, rule again in my heart. Reclaim your throne.
You went to such length, so help me be faithful, no matter how much I roam.

From the dawn of Creation this was your heart,
To call a royal priesthood, sealed with Your mark.
To this end, you pressed on that night all alone.
The Jews handed You to be killed by men of Rome.

Kneeling, weeping at the cross, I’m ready to be set apart.
Make me a star in the night, in the void, a spark.

The Cross

The cross, a paradox of necessity,
Hangs by the front door.
It is of no logical value.
I lift the cross off the wall.
I turn it over and over in my hands.
My fingers gather dust
And ants who had built a nest inside,
Now scurry over the course, wood surface.

I hardly notice this cross, most of the time.
I need it though.
I would never dream of giving it up.
Like air, always present,
Always necessary, never remembered.

This ornament is a long lost memory.
Rarely does it ever replay in my mind,
Yet it would tug at my heart strings, 
Like a game of tug-o-war,
If it ever reentered my conscience.

This cross holds sentimental value for me,  
Not for where it has been and what it has seen.
For me, it is only a reminder of the story
Of a greater Cross.

Two thousand years ago, that Roman Cross 
Held not its usual wretched criminal,
But the guiltless Lamb of God, mocked, beaten,
And marred beyond recognition.
Three days later, his silhouette was encased
In a glorious, triumphant sunrise.

So the cross, a paradox of necessity,
Hangs by the front door.
In one way it is of no logical value,
But priceless in another way.

A king would never march his troops
Out to war without a coat of arms.
Declaring what kingdom the enemy dared to challenge.
His victory is not at state, but his glory.

A five-year old girl could go to sleep with only a bed,
But without her teddy bear, she would refuse.

The American flag waves for the sake of patriots,
Citizens who know they are free and free indeed.

In the same way,
The cross still hangs there
Only for what it means for me,
A citizen who knows he is free indeed.
I could fall asleep without the cross
But I refuse.
Not for my victory,
But for His glory.

Years later, the cross now hangs above my bed,
Though I’ve moved several times, I still have and display it.
It was what I wrote my first poem about.
Now that poem is being published with many others
In this very book.

The Cross is still the anthem of my battle hymn.
The song that plays round and round in my head
Like a broken record player. 
His love and forgiveness are still my fortress.

To Slay a Serpent

Venom coursed through their veins,
Many of them passed to lay in a desert grave.
How can the venom be reversed?
How can you undo a serpent's curse?
To ease the pain, you need to kneel.
This plague came from sin, so repent,
And lift your eyes to the bronze serpent.
Do this in faith, and you will be saved.
This is how a serpent's venom to heal.

Divinity coursed through His veins,
He was tested in the desert for forty days.
How can the tempter's hissing whisper be ignored?
How can sin be overcome and victory secured?
To evade the pain, you need to kneel,
Bow your will to the King who reigns.
In mastery of God's Holy Word,
Wielded like a flashing sword.
This is how victory over the serpent is sealed.

Blood poured out from His veins,
And He was buried in the garden grave for three days.
How can the serpent's curse be reversed?
How can humanity be set back on course?
Despite the pain, He gave His life to seal the deal.
In the sacrifice of the Incarnate Word,
And the lifting up of the Son was the only way.
This was the way to slay the serpent,
And gain forgiveness, the chance to repent.
This was for the wounds of the nations to heal.