Please, Preach to Me the Gospel

Please Preach to Me the Gospel
by Christopher Witmer

Please, preach to me the Gospel
Please tell me of my sin.
Because when I look inside me,
I feel the brokenness within.

Please, preach to me the Gospel
Please tell of the bloody Cross
Because when I look around me everywhere
I see how quickly I get lost.

It’s not a comfort to know I’m perfect
That lie, I can detect.
It’s a comfort to know that Jesus,
Carried my sin upon his back.

Bloodied, bruised, and broken
He suffered to make me whole.
So great has been my sin within.
So great the happiness I stole.

So please preach to me the Gospel
Speak not lightly of my wrongs.
For when I’ve faced it in the eyes
His love shows up so strong.

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

In the Despair — a Poem of Hope

I believe that all men

At a point in their life

Do arrive to a state

Of despair.

 –

“Oh my God,” cried the king,

“Where are you in this world?”

We do fear that the Lord

Is not fair.

 –

But despite our small thoughts

Our Lord God who redeems,

Keeps us in, close to Him

And His care.

 –

We can

Surely

Know He

Will not

Falter

On His

Promise.

 –

In the times of confusion

Trust in God’s substitution.

 –

On the cross in the East

God did die for our release.

 –

There is trouble

There is pain;

But in all

Can be gain.

 –

Even when

God seems far,

Don’t despair

For you are

On a journey

That is good,

And will make you

More strong than wood.

 –

So look up to the sky,

And whisper to God:

“I will trust you

I will serve you.”

Even if you feel

Under a curse,

Know that Christ

Loved you first.

 –

There is a hope

Midst the sorrow.

I will wait

For tomorrow.

C.D.

Mom

A mom is security, love and support;

She knows what you’re about, both inside and out.

You tell her the latest, the good and the bad,

And caringly she listens to the heart of the sad.

From childhood to grown up

She’s there in the midst.

She’s everything that matters

Like a precious jewel she sparkles and shimmers.

But you take her for granted.

Yet her love is not lessened,

Diminished or slanted—

It’s within her deeply planted.

And then,

You wake up and find,

The gem afore spoken

Sits there and is broken;

She’s moaning and groaning

And running out of time.

Oh what I would do,

Looking back with regret,

To whisper her name again and again.

To sing her sweet songs.

Oh how I do long

To shout with my life

I LOVE YOU, MOM!

I would tear down the sky

Just to say one last good-bye.

To hug her and kiss her

And let her see me cry.

The tears run so easy

Like never before,

She loved us so much—

Why didn’t I love her more?

But now she is gone,

Taken beyond,

To a land without shadow

A place that is hallow.

She’s traveled to Heaven

She’s taken to Jesus

And Jesus can love her

‘Cause He’s the true lover.

And though I can’t see it,

And hardly believe it:

I rest in this promise

For I know He will keep it.

C.D.

Handsome God

We are Christ’s bride,

And He is the groom.

We talk of His beauty,

But truly,

We are the beauty,

He is the handsome.

He is our knight in Armor so shining.

Great feats He has done,

Great feats He has won.

He is the glory,

He makes our love story.

His strength holds us up

When our strength is wan.

He wins the battle;

Owns all the cattle.

His might is far stretched,

And cannot be matched.

His romance to us

Can make us sure blush.

But what greater lift

Have we than this gift–

His gift of His love

From Heaven above?

The features of Him

Make us want to grin.

So handsome is He–

Don’t you agree?

Beauty Deceived

In the beginning,

God, Creator, Supreme Spirit,

Formed a perfect world,

Stood back and smiled.

Such beauty and perfection

Could not be matched.

It was lovely, it was gorgeous,

And He was delighted.

Laughter was heard throughout Heaven.

The angels rejoiced,

And danced among the fresh stars;

Even the solemn and beautiful Lucifer Played his harp.

But as he played,

The desire to be praised

Sprouted within his restless heart.

Was he not a beauty among the angels?

So it began:

Angels were deceived,

And feet were stilled,

Yes, even those feet Which had danced the hardest.

And Heaven’s peace

Was split by the cries of war.

Lucifer and his legions;

Took up sword against the mighty Michael.

And from His throne,

God watched the battle below.

He knew what was to result.

His army would win,

But only then, the real war would begin.

The battle ended,

And Satan fled with his demons.

Michael trembled watching his friend rebel.

How could it happen?

Beauty was now deceiving.

The enemy had gone,

But God was the more disturbed,

For He knew what was to come,

And Heaven fell silent.

Perfection was yet among the stars,

But no voices were heard now,

No angels danced,

Something was taking place on Earth.

To the beautiful Eden,

Where God had placed his prize,

Satan had gone first.

The humans were too innocent.

Not knowing fully what had happened,

The angels gaped,

As the human’s souls

Turned suddenly red.

Beauty had deceived.

Those powerful white creatures

Knew not what to do,

So they turned to God,

And there they saw love, unravel.

The Great One came down from His throne,

Hurting and lamenting.

He wailed in sorrow:

His loved ones had died.

He shouted to heaven,

And rattled the planets.

The angels stood,

shocked,

How could this have happened?

All of Heaven cried,

And God went below to the humans;

So torn, so loving, so angry.

He knew what would happen.

———

As the ages went by,

Perfection left completely.

The earth was reformed,

The heavens were dead.

The souls of the humans,

Stayed very red.

But God did not seethe

He only received.

Things were different,

Never to be the same.

Hell had been formed.

(At which the angels shuttered.)

God had not hardened,

No He was the same.

It was they who were different:

The people on Earth.

God’s spirit was white,

Pure and alive.

Theirs were dead.

And their souls were red.

Yes God was still giddy,

But not as often,

For His prize still would not soften.

They were separated by a great veil.

They had lost all understanding

Of the God they had known,

While in the garden to roam.

They saw Him as angry and harsh.

No, He was the same.

It was they who had changed.

They were sinners,

And they were dead.

They saw His wrath, yes.

And why not?

They had rejected His perfection.

They had left, they had changed.

They had agreed with Satan.

God had created them all

To worship Him.

Yet they set up temples to worship the devil.

And Lucifer smiled, satisfied.

But no one knew

That God had a plan.

His love would, in the end, be shown

To even the rebellious ones.

Yes, He would go down one last time,

And show them Himself.

He would appear as a human.

And few would know.

His plan was clear and His mind set.

He was born of a virgin.

He lived as a carpenter.

And no one, except a few who believed,

Knew who He really was.

Yes, God was walking on earth,

And yet He was in Heaven.

God was convicted and tried,

And condemned to death.

Truth be told,

Their own folly would kill God.

It was Adam who had sinned,

And it was Adam who would kill Him.

So the red souls bound Him and stripped Him.

And took Him to death.

It shouldn’t make sense,

And it doesn’t.

The Creator created.

The Creation rebelled.

Now the Creation was killing the Creator,

And yet He would save the Creation.

And all of Heaven stood still.

Not an angel moved.

Even Hell was oddly silent

Above its screams.

Not a star fluttered in space;

It was so calm,

One could almost hear

The planets rotate on their axes.

And far down,

On the earth below,

With only a handful of humans observing,

God died.

And therein lays the paradox.

How could God die?

Especially after all they had done?

It was the humans who should have died,

Only now, if they repented, they never would.

But God could not remain dead.

For in Heaven He was ecstatic.

In one, two, three days,

He would rise, and prove to all

Who really was to be praised.

So now to all men, women, and children,

There is a choice.

A choice of worship,

Of agreement.

In Heaven the angels dance once again.

God’s joy is overflowing,

His passion revealed,

His love demonstrated.

There is a great battle,

Satan continues his struggle,

But we know the end of the story.

God wins.

Yet there will be casualties, my friend.

Will you be one?

We are caught between this great battle;

On one side stands Hell, on the other is Heaven.

Each of us is given a choice of allegiance.

Who will you choose?

C.D.

Foundation of Light

Forward, backward, up and down,

My soul longs for stability.

But where in this vast world could be found,

A firm foundation so profound?

Here, there–nowhere!

But wait!

Could it be? Is it possible

For you and for me to stand upon a rock?

A rock that sets free?

I see a shining light, like a glimmering diamond,

As hard as could be!

Firm and set, not willing to move,

The Lord of the ages comes like as the moon!

Here at last–come what may!

I long for the ages to vanish away,

Away, and forever not able to stay!

No longer to haunt me, no longer to taunt,

No longer to tell me–I’m not what he sought.

4-14-2011