Justice Poem - Lament

Lament

How long, O Lord, must we still wait

For You to come and vanquish hate?

How long shall all the angels cry,

“Will hell prevail and justice die?”

How long, O Lord, will they succeed

To ruin the Earth with pride and greed?

How long before You come again,

To rid the world of wicked men?

How long, O Lord, will people cry

In pain, in fear, and asking, “Why?”

How long will silence be Your will

Allowing some to freely kill?

How long, O Lord, will faith remain

In broken hearts so full of pain?

How long, O Lord, before You come

And truly let Your will be done?

How long, O Lord, must we still pray

For Justice? Until Judgement Day?

How long, O Lord, must this go on?

Too long, my Lord. You wait too long.

© 2020 John Stuart

Christian Poem - Harvest Lament

Harvest Lament

We plow the clouds and scatter

The people of the land,

As they are bombed and shattered
by Man’s inhuman hand.

We send the squads to conquer,
To slay and spread the pain,
the rockets and the bullets,
So we can kill and maim.

Refrain:
All this fear around us
from Man to man we send;
then beg the Lord, O beg the Lord
For all war to end.

Man only is the maker

Of things we fear afar,
he blasts the wayside village,

he sets the towns on fire;
he wins and knaves applaud him,
by him the hawks are fed;
much more than this with children,
he adds our daily dead.

[Refrain]

We beg you, then, O Father,
for all things right and good:
for peace-time and for justice,
for life, for health, for food;
no prayers have we to offer
our dreams are all in parts,
but ask that You may heal now:
our broken, fearful hearts!

[Refrain]

© John Stuart 2019

Christian Poem - Psalm 122 of Thomas

Psalm 122 (of Thomas)

1 I was mad when they said to me,
“In this house, we have seen the Lord!
2 We saw Him here without you,
    within this house, O Didymus”.

3 Didymus—born as a twin,
    full of doubts altogether.
4 To him, the disciples go up,
    the disciples of the Lord,
who were chosen by Christ,
    to give witness to the rising of the Lord.
5 For them, the promises of God were fulfilled,

    the promises to the house of David.

6 Pray for the peace of Didymus:
    “May they convince and love you.
7 Peace be within your mind,
    and clarity to end your doubts.”
8 For the sake of my sanity, dear friends
    I will say, “I do not believe you.
9 Unless I see in this house the Lord who died,
    I will reject your word.”

© John Stuart 2019

Maundy Thursday Poem - Remembrance

Remembrance

The night in which He was betrayed,

Jesus took unleavened bread,

And blessed the loaf before His friends,

To show a love that never ends.

“This is My Body,” Jesus said,

And handed out some bits of bread

“Broken for you,” He simply taught them,

“So all your sins can be forgotten.”

After supper, He took a cup,

And pouring wine, He filled it up.

“This is My blood, shed for Your sin,

To cancel death and let love win.”

They did not know all that He said,

Would be forever shared and read,

Through all the world, His love displayed,

This night, in which He was betrayed.

© John Stuart 2019

Gratitude - Christian Poem

Gratitude

She quietly knelt before Him

And carefully cradled His weary feet.

He had walked for miles that day,

On sandy roads and stony paths

Between the temple and the town.

He just needed to stop for a while

And give His painful feet

A well-earned rest,

A time to just let go

Of all His burdens.

She carefully brushed away

The dust around His ankles

And between His toes,

With her beautiful, luxuriant hair.

As her silky locks gently waved their way

Over His calloused feet,

He felt a peace He had not known

For quite some time.

He gratefully smiled as she applied

Some fragrant oil to His feet

And filled the room with sweet perfume.

She humbly wiped His relaxed toes

And tickled them with her thankful tears,

Touching His lonely soul

With her unconditional love.

Something beautiful had been given,

Something human had been shared,

Which He would always cherish

And eternally remember.

© John Stuart 2019

Love Covers Poem

Proverbs 10:12 Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs. (NIV)

There is no hatred dark enough

To take away the light;

There is no falsehood loud enough

To silence what is right.

Spiteful men may try again

To hush our faithful songs,

But Christ prevails and never fails;

Love covers all our wrongs.

Love covers all our wrongs.

© John Stuart 2019

Christian Poetry - Thomas Tanka

Thomas Tanka

I came here doubting,

Burying my hope within,

Expecting nothing.

Then He suddenly appeared.

My God! Now I believe Him!

© John Stuart 2018

Christian Poem - 3 Things

3 Things - Now I Am Old

Peace is possible when people

Embrace each other with respect

And set aside their agendas,

Creating a culture of conversation,

Ending fear by simply sharing love.

Hope is experienced when people

Open their hearts and broaden their minds,

Putting away old prejudices by

Emptying themselves of pride.

Love triumphs when people

Openly accept one another,

Valuing the gifts and experiences

Everyone brings to this table called Life

John Stuart (c) 2018

Christian Poetry - Time Will Tell

Time Will Tell

There is a time for everything

A sacred season for all;

A time, in which, we each are born,

A moment when we fall.

A time to plant some new ideas,

A harvest to gather all,

But a time to kill and let blood spill,

Is that our human call?

There is a time for tearing down

The walls our hate has grown,

To turn our tears away from fears

And learn to laugh, not mourn.

A time to dance this sweet embrace,

This gift of life we’ve known;

To seek the higher way of love

And never be alone.

Is there still time to show remorse

And own the pain we’ve caused;

To let our spirits speak to us,

And change the path we’ve trod?

Is there still time to learn of love

And make all war outlawed?

Is there the will, within us still,

To share the peace of God?

© John Stuart 2018

Christian Poem - When Winter Comes

When winter comes,

My soul slows down

And seeks to hibernate

In the holiness of God.

I embrace the frozen Earth,

As it divinely revolves

Around the gracious,

Crimson sun.

Cold air bites my face,

Making me thankful

To be fully alive

In such an icy season.

Darkness extends

And then contracts,

As the promise of Spring

Pushes through the frosty ground.

My soul reawakens

From its sacred slumber,

And rejoices in the splendor

Of life yet to come.

© 2018 – John Stuart

Poem - Whisper

Whisper

Moments of quietness

Meander too infrequently

In my timetabled life;

Too many things

Penetrate my bubble

And too much noise

Breaks the peace

Of my fragile soul.

I want to stay in touch

With God

And sit together

Silently.

I yearn to be connected

To the Great Spirit

Of all Creation,

Breathing and praying,

Waiting and contemplating,

Living and loving,

In perfect bliss.

As I enter the empty sanctuary,

Sounds around me diminish,

Noises within me are hushed.

My sought-for tranquility commences,

And I hear the Divine Voice.

“Child,” God gently whispers,

“Silence is always sacred.”

© John Stuart 2017

 You can also listen to the poem here:

After Easter poem: The Day After

The Day After

The flourishing fanfares

Have finished

The heavenly hymns

Have ended

The powerful preaching

Is put aside

And the people

Get back to being

Whoever they were

Before the Easter rush.

Church is deathly quiet

On the day after.

The pews are vacantly empty

The sanctuary is somberly silent.

A suffocating stillness

Pervades the sacred space,

Like that of a forgotten tomb

Abandoned by

Its owners.

Yesterday,

The Resurrection

Was wildly evident

As many voices

Sang the songs

And proclaimed

The ancient words,

“Christ is Risen!”

“He is Risen indeed!”

On the day after,

Even if a lone voice

Defiantly declares

In a mighty clamor,

“Christ is Risen!”

Only the creaking

Wooden ceiling

Repeatedly squeaks

A feeble reply;

“Is he? Is he? Is he?”

On the day

After Easter,

Church world is dead,

But the Promised One is waiting.                              © John Stuart 2014