Light and Joy

Suddenly the River swept round a bend, and the banks rose upon either side, and the light of Lórien was hidden. To that fair land Frodo never came again.

The travellers now turned their faces to the journey; the sun was before them, and their eyes were dazzled, for all were filled with tears. Gimli wept openly.

"I have looked the last upon that which was fairest," he said to Legolas his companion. "Henceforward I will call nothing fair, unless it be her gift." He put his hand upon his breast. "Tell me, Legolas, why did I come on this Quest? Little did I know where the chief peril lay! Truly Elrond spoke, saying that we could not foresee what we might meet upon our road. Torment in the dark was the danger that I feared, and it did not hold me back. But I would not have come, had I know the danger of light and joy. Now I have taken my worst wound in this parting, even if I were to go this night straight to the Dark Lord. Alas for Gimli son of Glóin!"

"Nay!" said Legolas. "Alas for us all! And for all that walk the world in these afterdays. For such is the way of it: to find and lose, as it seems to those whose boat is on the running stream. But I count you blessed, Gimli son of Glóin: for your loss you suffer of your own free will, and you might have chosen otherwise. But you have not forsaken your companions, and the least reward that you shall have is that the memory of Lothlórien shall remain ever clear and unstained in your heart, and shall neither fade nor grow stale."

"Maybe," said Gimli, "and I thank you for your words. True words doubtless; yet all such comfort is cold. Memory is not what the heart desires. That is only a mirror, be it clear as Kheled-zâram. Or so says the heart of Gimli the Dwarf."


(Quoted from J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings.)

Weep, Weep for Zion!

Am I Nienna, is Nienna I?
Am I the one who weeps for sorrow deep?
When pain shall come, will I for sorrow cry?
Will I give voice to those who cannot weep?
I am Nienna, weeping for the pain
And crying for the hurts of fallen man.
I mourn the sin, lament the crimson stain,
And grieve for evil since the world began.
I have not voice enough to breathe the sighs
Of those who suffer long in evil’s chains;
I weep to cleanse the wounds of Satan’s lies
And bring new hope through mourning’s silver strains.
For not all tears are evil, not all wrong,
But sorrow leads to wisdom’s joyful song.

Glimpses of Heaven

A rainy day, a wintry day,
As raindrops fall and clouds away
Will blow, and go, and clear the air,
And blue the skies, and make them fair.

The music flows, and music goes,
And pictures paints of day at close,
And weds with reds the sunset sky
As clouds go ever drifting by.

The music sings with angel wings
Of landscapes green, and thus it brings
A flight o'er bright majestic hills:
The room with beauty, music fills.

Yet all of these, the sky, the breeze,
Are nothing more than heaven's tease
Of light and height and beauty bright,
And naught we do but praise His might.

For Your Glory

Mountains, snow-capped, white and hoary
In your name and for your glory;
German car and English lorry
In your name and for your glory;
Mansion, house, or single storey
In your name and for your glory;
Silver mine and granite quarry
In your name and for your glory;
Voice of God tells cosmic story:
In your name and for your glory.

Baptism By Fire [Fire/Water]

“As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” - Matthew 3:11-12

The Baptist called them to repent.
He baptized them with their consent,
To cleanse them all from all their sins.
Now John to preach the Christ begins:
John tells them of His whelming might,
His terrible, majestic height:
“He’ll baptize you with Spirit sent
From God above; and not content
With Spirit only, Jesus twins
The Spirit with what burns your skins:
With fire sent from heaven’s bright
And incorrupt immortal Light.
He cometh not with light intent;
The wicked souls will soon be rent
By winn’wing fork, with which He thins
The worthless chaff, then it He spins
Through air and burns to cleanse the blight:
With fire unquenchable ignite.”

Lyrical Limerick

There once was a silly old spider
Who thought he could sing German lieder.
He started to chant
And an ant sycophant
Brought along his new friend water strider.

Haikus for the Kingdom

I
The kingdom of heaven
Is small, yet greater than the
Entire universe.

II
Take note: the kingdom
Of heaven is of greatest
Importance for us.

III
The kingdom will come
When we least expect it to,
Surprising many.

IV
If we would be wise,
We place the kingdom of God
Before everything.

V
The kingdom is like
A field with treasure, purchased
For all a man owns.

VI
Blessed are the poor
In spirit, for theirs is the
Kingdom of heaven.

VII
Blessed are those who
Are persecuted, for theirs
Is the kingdom, too.

Redemption

The Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, "Before a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times." And he went out and wept bitterly. - Luke 22:61-62

But these words appeared to them as nonsense, and they would not believe them. But Peter got up and ran to the tomb. - Luke 24:11-12

The Christ, betrayed by men and doomed to die,
The Lord God turned, looked Peter in the eye.
And Peter, who'd denied he would deny,
Knew how he'd failed; went out, wept bitterly.
The Lord was crucified, laid in the tomb;
No hope in Peter's heart to see Him yet.
Some women come, tell all there in the room
Of empty tombs; new hope their words beget.
Up Peter starts, and rushes to the place
Where Christ was laid; the only one to move.
His hope not yet rewarded, but by grace
He's been forgiven, covered in Christ's love.
He'd failed his Lord before, denied His name;
With second chance, becomes an ardent flame.