March 25, 2018
Redemption
Lost, all lost, to foolishness of sin.
The gate obstructed now by flaming sword.
The thieves cannot forget what might have been
Had they not stolen from the garden’s Lord.
Cast out, they tilled the earth through grievous toil,
Reaping their meager crops amid the thorns.
They buried children in the greedy soil
And wept as dark nights turned to bitter morns.
Oh, who can save us from this endless death?
Who will redeem our lost inheritance?
Only the Kinsman who gave us His breath
Can pay the dreadful price for our offense.
Between two thieves He paid redemption’s price
To bring His people back to Paradise.
Copyright © 2018 by Teresa Roberts Johnson (All rights reserved)
Truly no man can ransom another, or give to God the price of his life,
for the ransom of their life is costly and can never suffice,
that he should live on forever and never see the pit.
January 13, 2018
A Kingly Gift
Miles and months they trudged across forlorn terrain,
Making their way through desert winds and drenching rain.
Spurred on by prophecy and guided by a light,
They gathered regal gifts and launched into the night.
Like Him, they left their stately home to seek a prize.
They longed to see the King with their own eyes,
To give Him frankincense and worship at His feet,
To lavish gold upon the one true Mercy Seat,
And myrrh, ah yes, the bitter scent of holy worth:
His life and death portrayed in presents for His birth.
They sought the promised King in Herod’s palace grand,
But there they found only a scheming, murderous hand.
He sent them on to Bethlehem, the house of bread,
Where lay the Bread of Life, just as the prophet said.
Returning home without the riches they had brought,
They carried in their hearts the Treasure they had sought.
Copyright © 2018 by Teresa Roberts Johnson (All rights reserved)
References:
November 20, 2017
The Advent of the Law
On Sinai, Moses held the perfect heart of God
Inscribed on two smooth stones to testify abroad
God’s Law, carved by His very finger on the stone,
Front and back, to fill them with His Word alone.
But stony human hearts can never perfect be,
And Adam’s ruined children yearned to be set free.
Who can deliver us from Death’s unyielding bands?
The Perfect Lamb with nail scars in His feet and hands,
Whose heart of flesh, pierced through by soldier’s cruel blade,
Poured forth sweet mercy even though He was betrayed.
His holy blood transforms our stony hearts to flesh,
His bread, His holy body, will our souls refresh.
The Advent of the Son of God new life imparts,
And His Spirit writes His law upon our hearts.
Copyright © 2017 by Teresa Roberts Johnson (All rights reserved)
So many scriptures are distilled in this poem; here are a few of the references:
September 12, 2017
Joy in the Mourning
Sometimes my prayers become a cloak.
I clutch them close around my heart
So that the rain of tears won’t soak
The landscape where you worked your art.
And then at times they are a shield
Defending me from all who scorn
A love that cannot be concealed,
A soul that cannot help but mourn.
They are a helmet large and strong
To keep my memories in line.
For I must live where I belong,
Pursuing duties that are mine.
Through prayer I seek the loving face
Of God, the blessed Trinity,
Who through great loss has offered grace
To mourners, and has set us free.
Copyright © 2017 by Teresa Roberts Johnson (All rights reserved)
Dedicated to all who mourn this day, and praying that their hope will be renewed.
July 15, 2017
Moneychanger
Oh, stood you there as moneychangers fled,
And did your pious glare increase their dread?
As they sought refuge from His holy wrath,
Pray, did you salvage coins in the aftermath?
Sly keeper of the funds, how carefully
You counted silver and spent frugally!
Was yours the voice objecting to the price
Of bread to change the wilderness to paradise?
You cringed when fragrant oil was freely poured
To anoint the blessed feet of Christ the Lord.
You feigned concern for souls who live in dearth,
While reckoning upon the spikenard’s worth.
Then in your final pact to fill your purse,
You sold the Maker of the Universe.
Copyright © 2017 by Teresa Roberts Johnson (All rights reserved)
Scriptural context:
April 9, 2017
Hosanna!
Hosanna, King! We need your power now,
When tyrants rage and tax our very soul.
Deliver us from despots, and endow
Our lives with peace to make us strong and whole.
Prosper us with circuses and bread,
For we are weary from oppression’s yoke
And tired of wasting days in bitter dread.
Save now! It’s time that you awoke!
We know you raised the dead, so now arise
To free your people and to take your throne.
Hosanna, Savior! Hear our desperate cries,
Messiah, our eternal Cornerstone!
Now, speak no more about this Son of Man
Whose sufferings will spoil our master plan.
Copyright © 2017 by Teresa Roberts Johnson (All rights reserved)
Scriptural context:
We dare not judge the crowds who thronged our Lord on his triumphal ride. What are we looking for when we approach the throne? An easy life? A full pantry? Earthly prosperity?
Our prayer should be for God to give us everything we need to serve Him best and to increase in holiness. Are we bold enough even to pray that He would take away all that is an impediment to serving Him?
May God give us grace to walk in the light of Christ.
December 10, 2016
Even So
Our path meanders through a barren land
Where lowering clouds press in on every side,
With gales so swift that we can hardly stand,
Rain so pervasive that we cannot hide.
Then storms give way to scorching desert heat.
Now parched, we long for mists to calm our thirst
And seek a haven for our weary feet.
Yet though we journey through a land accursed
Despair is not our answer to this plight
For sure and certain hope steadies our gait.
Relentless gloom can never quench the Light.
Unyielding joy belies our sad estate
Because the Son of God who shared our pain
Will come again to heal our every bane.
Copyright © 2016 by Teresa Roberts Johnson (All rights reserved)
For Advent
November 26, 2016
Dirge at Dawn
I must sit beside the road a while and rest
For I am wearied by this constant fray.
Our warriors are on all sides sorely pressed,
And darkness threatens to devour the day.
Today’s news from the front has torn my heart:
Our leader has succumbed to wounds sustained
By every soldier when the Opposer’s art
Brought down the curse of death and God ordained
We would in enmity live out our days.
Yet from a distant shore a shout resounds
As our courageous leader joins the praise
Echoing in a mighty chorus that now drowns
The noise of battle and the cries of woe.
So I will rise betimes and fight anew
Since Christ has dealt to death a deadly blow
And will restore all things when time is due.
Copyright © 2016 by Teresa Roberts Johnson (All rights reserved)
This poem is fondly dedicated to the memory of The Most Reverend Royal U. Grote, Jr., a faithful shepherd of the flock who went home from the war on Thanksgiving Day. I have no doubt he heard the words, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.”
October 11, 2016
For Susan
O Death, you coward cur, so brave you were
To crush a lovely bloom and try to seal her doom,
To break a porcelain doll and still her hands so small.
Her bright smile you eclipsed; you silenced gentle lips.
Frail creature she, but strong immeasurably
In joy and grace and peace, virtues that shall not cease;
In family and friends, in love that never ends.
Your meddling only served to grant the rest deserved
By one who labored long to make God’s Kingdom strong.
Her legacy outlasts your raging noisome blasts.
O Death, have you not learned you have been overturned?
The Savior’s majesty has set your captives free.
To Easter hope they cling, trusting their risen King
Whose victory is sure, whose promise is secure.
Copyright © 2016 by Teresa Roberts Johnson (All rights reserved)
Today I am in shock at the passing of a third dear friend this year, a dear Christian lady, wife of an Anglican priest, mother of seven, beloved child of a sovereign God. We attended church together for many years, raised our children together, swapped recipes, and encouraged each other in the faith. May our Lord comfort her family until they see her again.
August 18, 2016
Women’s Conference
Hello, dear readers,
I will be speaking at the 60th Spiritual Enrichment Conference sponsored by the Reformed Episcopal Church Committee on Women’s Ministry. The conference will be held Friday, September 30 – Sunday, October 2, 2016, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Williams Hotel and Conference Center, 50 Kingsmill Road, Williamsburg, Virginia. The conference theme is “Consolation and Good Hope Through Grace.” For more information, click on the link below:
Angliverse 