A day from Christ, with glory crowned, A charge to wield His victor’s might, To storm the dark, His will unbound, And raise His banner, bold and bright.
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12: 2 (KJV)
Look steadfast to the One who carved our creed, The Author of our faith, its perfect guide, Who penned salvation’s tale in every deed, And finished it where mortal hopes abide. For joy unseen, He bore the cross’s pain, Despising shame, a crown of thorns He wore, Through anguish deep, He broke the sinner’s chain, And rose to sit where glory reigns evermore. His eyes, our beacon through the storm’s dark strife, His hands, the chisel shaping souls anew, From dust to grace, He authors endless life, A work divine no shadow can undo. So fix your gaze on Him, the race to run, Till faith’s great Finisher declares it won.
A soul ascends, though praise is spare, God’s whisper lifts through doubt and care, No mortal word need light their way, Divine strength crowns their every day.
In Acts, the faithful shared with open hands, A church alive with love, no soul in need, Their hearts unbound by selfish, earthly bands, They sowed in grace, a pure and holy seed.
Oh, for a flock where burdens all are borne, Where widows weep not, nor the hungry pine, A brotherhood from dusk until the morn, Each life entwined, like branches on the vine.
No gold they hoarded, none stood lone, apart, Their table spread for stranger and for kin, With fervent prayer and undivided heart, They built a home where mercy dwelt within.
Restore us, Lord, to care as once they did, A church renewed, where love is never hid.
The gates of pearl in radiant splendor gleam, A threshold vast where mortal dreams ascend, Through streets of gold, a shimmering, endless stream, The soul’s delight in beauty without end. Each foundation stone, a jewel of sacred hue, Bears names of twelve, apostles bold and true— Their steadfast faith, in colors bright, proclaimed, A testament through ages ever new. The jasper glows, the sapphire’s azure flame, Emerald whispers life, and ruby’s fire, All woven in a hymn to one great Name, A city built of grace and pure desire. Here wealth of earth meets heaven’s boundless store, A realm where love and light reign evermore.
O Lord of might, enthroned in boundless light, Behold the anguished souls by evil torn, Their cries ascend through terror’s endless night, By monstrous hands in darkness cruelly worn. Arise with fury, break the wicked’s hold, Cast down the powers that in shadows thrive, Let justice rain, their vileness to unfold, And snatch the broken forth to life alive.
Yet, Savior, pierced for us on mercy’s tree, Bind up their wounds with love that never fails, From horror’s grip their spirits gently free, O’er haunting fears let holy peace prevail. Smite Thou the foe, their reign of dread consume, Raise up the crushed to bloom in vict’ry’s plum
The words of Christ’s own poet, pure and bright, Outshine the ruby’s fire with sacred gleam, Each verse a sapphire, deep with holy light, A stream of grace that flows from mercy’s theme. Like emeralds green with life, they bloom anew, Reflecting Eden’s hope in every line, Their amethystine hue, a royal view, Reveals the Savior’s heart in tones divine.
No diamond cuts so keen as truth they bear, Nor topaz glows with such eternal flame, These jeweled praises, wrought in fervent prayer, Adorn the King’s own throne with Christ’s great name. So fall these gems from lips redeemed and free, A treasury of love for all to see.
The throne of loving glory, beauty, delight, Beholds His royally redeemed in radiant bloom, His heart, a well of joy that knows no night, Sees them as heirs of splendor, free from gloom. His scepter marks them precious in His sight, His crown of light their royal state reveals, He views them robed in honor, pure and bright, Their worship sweet, a treasure He inseals.
No flaw obscures the beauty He surveys, For in His gaze they shine with regal worth, A tapestry of grace through endless days, Their royal praises echo His true mirth. Ye chosen, rise, His courts of bliss adorn, His heart’s delight in thee forever born.
A heart attuned, by Christ’s own hand made soft, A gift divine, to feel where shadows fall, He tunes the soul to hear the whispers oft, The sighs of earth, the Spirit’s gentle call. Through tears and joy, the process carves its way, Each wound a quill, each grace a line to sing, A tender heart learns mercy day by day, And crafts its verse to glorify the King. Where others pass, unmoved by silent cries, This poet sees, with eyes by Jesus lent, The beauty veiled, the pain that underlies, And weaves it all to hymns of sweet assent. So from His touch, a fragile strength is born, A voice to reign in triumph evermore.
The emerald trees in silent grandeur stand, Their jeweled leaves a canopy of light, A whispered song of nature’s gentle hand, That weaves through day and cradles soft the night. Each bough a brushstroke, verdant, bold, and free, In sunlight’s glow, they shimmer like the sea, A tide of green where shadows dance and play, A living art no mortal could decree. Their roots entwine the earth in deep embrace, A timeless bond through seasons’ ceaseless flight, They hold the wind, the rain, the sky’s wide grace, And gift the world a canopy of might. Oh, emerald trees, your beauty reigns so grand, All praise to God, who shaped you by His hand.