"Carrying My Cross"

 A-Poem-a-Day

Until Resurrection Day

Today marks my 1000th Blog Post...

Hallelujah!

To God be the Glory!

The trials we must face in our lives

can be difficult to accept.

The following poem was written

during one of those trials...

Photo credit: cndajin.com

ACCEPTANCE

 

I accept this bitter cup

filled to the brim

with the wine

of sorrow

I'll take

and drink

it dry

 

For I have tasted

the sweet wine

of the red

grapes

of joy

the wine

of gladness

the wine

of blessing

 

I accept this cross—

 

I will lug its weight

upon my

bony shoulder

and trudge

the pathway

of travail

When

I misstep

and stumble

I'll call for help

 

My cross

is so, so small

compared to Yours

My bitter cup

sweet honey

All I need

to make it

Jesus

is Your hand

and Your deep

unfathomable

Love…

 

Maude Carolan

For information about ordering

books of poetry

by Maude Carolan Pych

go to: www.maudecarolanpych.net

"Jesus Laughed"

A-Poem-a-Day

Until Resurrection Day

Image credit: thesoundingboardteachingministries.com

JESUS LAUGHED

 

Each of us has our own concept of Jesus—

As for me, I like to think He laughed a lot

Yes, I picture Jesus throwing his head back

with a wide winsome smile

and laughing heartily from the gut

and I think He did it often

 

I know it doesn’t say so in Scripture

but still, I imagine the One

Who hung out with the twelve

shared some mighty amusing stories

around the campfire on starry summer evenings

I figure He even occasionally bore the brunt

of good-natured razzing by the brethren

as they passed around roasted fish

and barley loaves on the shore of the Galilee

 

A guest at parties and weddings

Jesus was actually accused

of being a winebibber and glutton

He wouldn’t have received

those kinds of invitations

and that kind of reputation

if He had been solemn and grim

 

and speaking of wine, I’m quite certain

no somber individual would have

turned H2O into the fruit of the vine

so a wedding feast could proceed

with expected merrymaking and

no embarrassment for the host

 

Oh! I’m sure Jesus was great fun to be with—

that mothers handed babies to Him

that He kissed them, blessed them

chucked their chins and tickled their tummies

causing them to giggle and coo

 

I picture children climbing up on His lap

and being bounced on His knees

as He told stories about Jonah and Daniel

I’ll bet He even tossed a leather ball

back and forth with the neighborhood lads

 

and when someone approached Him

with despair and grief and longing

my mind’s eye sees Him

wrapping His loving arms around

the one in need—

turning sorrow into hope

 

Oh! It’s true, Jesus got plenty stirred up

with righteous indignation—

even knocked over vendor tables

in the Temple courts

and vented his anger vehemently

at hypocritical Pharisees

 

but this was the world His Father created

and loved so much

that He sent Him here

to save

 

Yes, I’m sure He laughed a lot

in spite of the fact

the dreaded Cross stood before Him

because He knew His mission

and of the joy to come

 

Indeed, the joy

for what He would accomplish for us

was already in Him

 

Yes, Jesus knew there was a time to laugh

and a time for anger

as well as a time to weep

 

Oh! I am touched by His humanity—

 

No wonder I love Him

 

Maude Carolan Pych

"Behold the Lamb...poetically!"

by Maude Carolan Pych

is a compilation of her poems

written over a span of thirty years

about the Birth, Death & Resurrection of Jesus.

Her book is available online

at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc.

and is a perfect gift for Lent or Easter.

www.maudecarolanpych.net

 

"Behold the Lamb"

 A-Poem-a-Day

Until Resurrection Day

Image credit: harvestministry.com

BEHOLD, THE LAMB

 

1.

In a grassy field in Bethlehem

a rugged old shepherd

tenderly smooths the wooly coat

of a pregnant ewe, as she bleats in labor

almost ready to deliver her offspring

 

He’s been through this many times—

Patiently, the shepherd remains with her

prepared to assist as she gives birth

 

Immediately following the delivery, he wisely wipes

the membrane away from the lamb’s face

so it can breathe, while the mother

instinctively licks it all over with her tongue

In a few minutes, it rises on wobbly legs

and manages a few shaky steps

 

Then the shepherd picks it up

and carefully examines

every limb and joint and crevice

Finding no blemish

he wraps strips of swaddling cloth

around its delicate little hooves

to protect them from splintering or cracking

 

He’ll raise this spotless little lamb

with utmost care—

 

and present it to the Levitical priests

designated for sacrifice

upon the altar at the Temple in Jerusalem

 

as an atonement for sin

 

2.

The old shepherd

warms himself by the fire

with the younger men

when suddenly the sky is alight

with angels singing praises to God

and announcing with joy

the birth of Jesus, Savior of the World

 

Filled with great jubilation

the shepherds set off

with their flock, to honor Him

They don’t have far to travel

 

In a lowly stable outside an inn

they find the Babe

with His mother, Mary

and her husband, Joseph

 

Baby Jesus is without blemish

swaddled and sleeping, in a make-shift cradle

that is actually a feeding trough for animals

 

Years go by

and in the fullness of time

the Man, Jesus, presents Himself

to John, the Baptizer

on the shore of the Jordan River

 

As He approaches

John proclaims to all who will listen

 

Behold, the Lamb of God

who takes away the sin of the world![1]

 

A few years later

Jesus, Son of God, the spotless Lamb

does exactly that, once and for all—

 

at the Cross

 

Maude Carolan Pych

---

[1]John 1:29 NASB

The above poem is the title poem from my book,

"Behold the Lamb...poetically!"

It's available online

at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc.

www.maudecarolanpych.net

The Binding of Isaac

 A-Poem-a-Day

Until Resurrection Day

Image credit: freemessianicbible.com

The Binding of Isaac

LOVE AND THE AKEDAH[1]

The Binding of Isaac – Genesis 22

 

Take your son

your only son

whom you love…

 

Twenty-two chapters into Scripture

and it's the first time love is mentioned

as God tells Abraham

 

Sacrifice Isaac

as a burnt offering

 

What swirls

through the mind

of this old patriarch

(who after a hundred years

fathers the son

of God's promise…

the son he loves

and proudly watches grow)

What swirls as he swings

the sharp axe, splitting wood

 

It was three days journey

from Beersheba to Moriah—

Leaving his servants behind

Abraham hands Isaac

the bundled wood

and carries fire and knife

up the mount

himself

 

Avi, (my father)

where is the lamb?

 

God will provide the lamb

my son

 

Abraham erects an altar of stone

arranges the wood and binds the lad

(whose faith and obedience

must be at least as great as his own)

 

Unflinching before the God

he has finally come to trust

the aged patriarch

(known to lie

to save his own skin

known to try to pull off

God's covenant himself

when it seemed God was slow

in keeping His promise)

this same patriarch…

raises the glinting blade

above his son, his only son

whom he loves…

 

Split-second

to knife-fall

the angel of the Lord calls out

 

Abraham! Abraham!

Do not lay a hand on the boy…

 

The old man

who has proven he would

withhold nothing from his God—

drops the bloodless blade

unbinds and embraces Isaac

 

and there, tangled

in a thicket, struggles

the substitute sacrifice

…a ram

 

Two millennia later

God's Son

His only Son

Whom He loves

carries wood

of a crossbeam

up the very same mountain

 

No angel of the Lord

arrives last moment

to halt the hammerfall

No ram appears

in a thicket

 

For God so loves

the world

He provides…

 

His Son

His only Son…The Sacrificial Lamb

 

Maude Carolan

---

[1] Akedah is the Hebrew word for binding.

"Behold the Lamb...poetically!" by Maude Carolan Pych is a compilation of her poetry about the Birth, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus, written over a span of thirty years. Her book is available online at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc. and would be a meaningful gift for Lent or Easter.

www.maudecarolanpych.net

Like Mary of Bethany

 A-Poem-a-Day

Until Resurrection Day

LIKE MARY, AT THE FEET OF JESUS

 

Lord, I’ve come to curl up

close to Your sandals

like Mary of Bethany

my ears primed

to absorb each word You speak

I’ve tuned out concerns

that would pull me

from this footstool

and will not be bothered

by deeds or distractions

that would drown Your voice

If Martha insists

on doing busy-work

she must do it alone

for nothing is more important to me

than sitting right here

right now, with You

 

and I will wail

at Your sacred feet

like Mary of Bethany

when my strength falters –

I shall wrap my quivering arms

around Your sturdy ankles

allow my tears to run in rivulets

down Your dusty feet –

stir You to weep, too

till resurrection happens

 

but especially, Lord

I long to anoint Your precious feet

like Mary of Bethany

and come with all that I have

as she, bearing nard

for I, too, yearn to soothe

with pure, lavish fragrance

the calloused heels and soles

toes and arches

I, too, know well –

the very feet that carried Good News

to my ears and heart –

beautiful feet, bleeding feet

pierced through for me

 

I shall unpin my hair, humbly

like Mary of Bethany

take Your dust

as diamonds, upon me

I desire to be, unto you, Lord

a sweet aroma

 

and if I be scolded, as was she

by one who couldn’t possibly understand

so be it

so be it

 

Maude Carolan Pych

"Behold the Lamb...poetically!"

by Maude Carolan Pych

is available online at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc.

www.maudecarolanpych.net

"Accustomed to The Cross"

 "A-Poem-a-Day Until Resurrection Day"

Photo credit: stream.org

ACCUSTOMED TO THE CROSS

 

I’m accustomed to the Cross.

 

I’ve seen it since childhood

gleaming high atop steeples,

crucifixes behind altar rails,

on hospital walls,

on bedroom walls,

depicted in framed masterpieces,

depicted in sculpted masterpieces,

described in written masterpieces,

marking graves in cemeteries,

illustrated in holy books,

affixed to lapels,

tattooed on forearms,

hanging silver and golden

and studded with diamonds

and sapphires from the necks

of men, women, children—

hanging, hanging on my mind.

 

So accustomed, yet

sometimes it is everywhere

and I don’t see it at all.

 

Today I see it afresh

sturdy and wooden and terrifying

through Good Friday eyes

that send streams down my cheeks

as blood streams from His wounds.

I shudder,

mindful of the Man

dying upon the beams

and the reason He is there—

 

Shudder

at the horror of it, Jesus my Lamb,

at the magnitude of it, Jesus my King,

at the love upon it, Jesus my Friend,

and my gratitude for it,

O Blessed Jesus,

my precious Lord and Savior

Who by His Death

and Resurrection

purchased eternal life…for me.

 

Maude Carolan

"Behold the Lamb...poetically!"

by Maude Carolan Pych

is a compilation of poems

about the Birth, Death & Resurrection of Jesus.

It is available online at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

www.maudecarolanpych.net

"Ash Wednesday Reflection"

 A-Poem-a-Day Until Resurrection Day

Photo credit: resourceumc.org

ASH WEDNESDAY REFLECTION

 

It’s Ash Wednesday—

 

Off in the distance, I hear thunder

thunder, like the sound of a big bass drum

 

There’s a BOOM and a BOOM and a BOOM

and a BOOM

 

like ticking and ticking and ticking

of a clock     Like a pulse     pulsing

Like beats     Heartbeats

 

Mine—

 

I’m reminded of time wasted

and time used wisely

of goals realized

and goals not met

 

Have I said the important things?

Have I done them?

Have I given enough?

Have I loved enough?     Forgiven?

Accepted forgiveness?

 

Is the world better because I’m here?

 

Have I done what I need to do       with God?

 

I listen for the next strike on the drum

and the next

 

BOOM and a BOOM and a BOOM

 

I don’t want the rhythm to stop

 

but       it will

 

I recall our vigil at Joanne’s bedside—

Remember holding my breath, waiting for her next

waiting for each heartbeat       Wishing

my hoping were enough

to keep her

 

The beat goes on     It won’t falter

 

until     BOOM and a BOOM…..BOOM

and     silence

 

dead silence

 

and that’s it

 

 

 

That’s when what I’ve done

or haven’t done

 

with God

 

takes over

 

Maude Carolan Pych

Maude will be posting

A-Poem-a-Day Until Resurrection Day

right here on her blog...

You're invited to visit here daily during Lent

to reflect, poetically, upon all Our Savior

has done for us...

To find out how to order Maude's books

go to: wwwmaudecarolanpych.net

My Valentine to God...

Last week I posted God's Valentine to us.

Today I'm posting my Valentine to God...

THERE ARE NO WORDS

My Valentine to Jesus

 

 Sometimes, there are no words—

I come before You, Lord, with adoration

filled with a strong desire to express my love

but all the words that come to mind

seem over-used and feeble

and cannot convey what I long to say

I’m a poet, a wordsmith

with adjectives a-plenty, and

 dictionaries, thesauruses, lexicons

close at hand, but

today I yearn to bless You afresh

with eloquence, depth and originality

I want it to be profound

something You’ve never heard before

however, I find there are no words

none to express the inexpressible

 

so I empty myself of words

and call upon Your Spirit

Sounds begin to tumble off my tongue

and through my lips

I trust a perfect utterance

rises like incense to Your throne

that is pleasing to Your ears

 

then I simply sit awhile

awestruck in silence

arms lifted heavenward

and let my beating heart speak

the unspeakable

 

content that You know

how much I love You, Lord

 

Maude Carolan Pych

Beginning Ash Wednesday, February 22nd,

I will post "A-Poem-a-Day Until Resurrection Day."

I invite you to visit my blog daily

and leave a comment from time to time.

"Behold the Lamb...poetically!"

by Maude Carolan Pych

is available online

at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

www.maudecarolanpych.net

"God's Unfathomable Love"

 Tuesday will be Valentine's Day

so I'm posting a poem

about God's amazing love...

Image credit: pinterest.com

GOD’S UNFATHOMABLE LOVE   

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His

only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him

shall not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16 NASB

 

For God—

The Majestic Almighty, Omnipotent, King of Kings

Ancient of Days, Elohim, Adonai

my beloved Abba Father

 

so loved—

with the bigness of His gracious agape heart

a love unfathomable, unconditional

and abounding in mercy

 

the world—

the whole wide world and everyone in it

in Israel, Jordan, Iran, Russia, Nigeria, China

in Ireland and Italy, where my ancestors came from

in HochHausen, Germany, where loved ones reside

where we’ve been on vacation, Aruba and Bermuda

and all of us right here, in Wayne, New Jersey

 

that He gave His only begotten Son—

given to us, freely, our Father’s extraordinary gift of Yeshua/Jesus

His sinless Son, to save us from punishment we deserve

for sins we have committed

 

that whoever believes in Him—

so all we need do to receive this wondrous gift

is believe God’s trustworthy Word

believe that Jesus was born into the world

and that He is our promised Savior

 

shall not perish—

because of Jesus’ sacrifice upon Calvary’s Tree

and because His Most Precious Blood atoned for all our sins

death has been swallowed up in victory!

 

but have eternal life—

because of Jesus’ miraculous Resurrection from death

we live because He lives

and will dwell with Him

in the Kingdom of Heaven

to enjoy unimaginable splendors

forever…forevermore

 

Praise the Lord!

 

Maude Carolan Pych

Beginning Ash Wednesday, February 22nd,

I'll be sharing "A-Poem-a-Day Until Resurrection Day."

"Behold the Lamb...poetically"

by Maude Carolan Pych

is available online at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc.

www.maudecarolanpych.net