Bible Stories: Job (Chapter I)
A man named Job, lived in Uz;
He was an upright, blameless man;
He was a God-fearing one too;
He turned away from all evil.
He was the greatest in the East;
He had a wife and children ten-
Three daughters and sons seven.
He owned a lot of animals-
Sheep- seven thousand,
Camels- three thousand,
Oxen in yoke- five hundred,
Female asses- five hundred,
Beasts of burden- many more!
His birthday was held by his sons;
Their sisters came to eat and drink;
Job blessed them all and sent away;
Next day, he offered burnt offerings;
He did this often telling God,
“Perhaps, my children have sinned, Lord! ”
When angels came before Yahweh,
Satan too joined them, one day;
The Lord asked him, “Whence do you come? ”
And Satan told, “By roaming earth,
And going on lands, back and forth.”
God asked, “Did you notice my servant Job?
There’s none like him upon the earth! ”
Satan said, “Does Job fear You for free? ”
“You placed a hedge around his house;
You’ve blessed his work in abundance;
Just touch his things; he’ll renounce You.”
God said, ‘You may test him but spare his life.’
So, Satan went from God to earth.
One day, when job with family ate,
A messenger gave him bad news:
‘Sabeans took your asses, oxen,
Killed all servants, just I escaped’
Another told, ‘God’s fire fell down
And burnt the sheep and servants all;
Just I escaped to tell you this.’
A third one said, ‘The Chaldeans
In three bands took camels away
Killed all servants and sped their way,
Just I escaped to tell today.’
A fourth one said, ‘A fierce wind came
Flattened your house and left all dead,
Just I escaped to tell you this! ’
Job shaved his head and tore his robe,
And fell upon the ground, prostrate.
He worshipped God, his Lord and said,
‘Naked I came from mother’s womb,
Now, naked shall I too return.
God gave and took; Bless’d be His name! ’
Job didn’t sin nor God, did he blame.
poem by John Celes
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Bible Stories: Job (Chapter II)
When angels came before Yahweh,
Satan too joined them again.
The Lord asked him, “Whence do you come? ”
And Satan told, “By roaming earth,
And going on lands, back and forth.”
God asked, “Did you notice my servant Job?
There’s none like him upon the earth! ”
“You ruined Job without a cause! ”
And Satan answered Lord and said,
“Man gives all things to save his life;
Just touch his body, he’ll curse God.”
So, God placed Job in Satan’s hands;
‘Just spare his life, ’ God warned Satan.
So, Satan went from Lord’s presence,
And caused Job boils from head to foot;
Job took a potsherd to scrape with
And sat amongst the ashes sad.
His wife advised, “Curse God and die! ”
Job told her not to be foolish.
“When good things come, we praise the Lord.”
“Why shouldn’t some evil come? ” asked Job.
In all this, Job didn’t sin by word!
Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar-
Good friends of Job, heard the sad news,
And rushed to mourn and console him!
From far, they couldn’t recognize Job;
They wept aloud and tore their cloaks;
They sprinkled dust upon their heads;
And sat with him upon the ground,
For seven days and nights, speechless.
They saw his grief was very great!
poem by John Celes
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Bible in Poetry: Gospel of St. Matthew (Chapter 25)
‘The Heaven’s kingdom is like ten
Virgins, who took their lamps to meet,
The bridegroom in his wedding feast;
Five were foolish but five were wise.’
‘The foolish ones went with their lamps,
Which had no oil in them at all;
The wise ones also took their lamps,
Along with oil to use in flasks.’
‘The bridegroom came a bit delayed;
The virgins felt drowsy and slept;
A cry was heard at midnight loud,
‘Behold, the bridegroom comes, meet Him! ’
The virgins woke and trimmed their lamps;
The foolish ones then asked the wise,
‘Spare us some oil to keep lamps on.’
The wise ones then replied, ‘Sorry,
We need the oil for our own lamps;
It may not be enough for both;
Go to the merchant shop and buy.’
While foolish virgins went to buy,
The bridegroom came during that time;
The ones ready, accompanied him;
The wedding hall’s door was then locked.’
The other virgins then arrived;
They cried, ‘Lord, Lord, open the door! ’
The bridegroom but replied, ‘Amen,
I say to you, I know you not! ’
‘So, stay awake for, you know not
The day, nor hour when bridegroom comes! ’
‘A man who went on a journey,
To all his servants, gave money,
As per each one’s ability.’
‘He gave five talents to the first;
Two talents to the servant next;
One talent only, to the last,
And went away immediately! ’
‘The one who got five talents made,
Another five talents by trade;
The one who had two talents too
Likewise had made another two;
The one with just one talent dug
A hole to bury it in ground.’
A long time passed; the master came
To settle accounts with servants;
He told the first who’d made five more,
‘Well done my faithful servant good;
I’ll give you better jobs to do;
Come share your master’s joy, rejoice! ’
‘He said the same to the second;
The one who got just one talent
Said, ‘Master, I know you too well.
You are a demanding person:
Harvesting where you did not plant,
Gathering when you didn’t scatter.
So, out of fear, I dug a hole
And buried it quite safely whole
Here is your talent you gave me.’
His master then replied to him,
‘You wicked, lazy servant, Oh!
Your master, when you knew so well,
Why didn’t you in a bank, put it,
So that the interest, I could get? ’
‘He took the talent from this one
And gave it to the one with ten;
The one who labors will get more;
The one with less will be made poor!
He ordered then, the lazy one,
Into the darkness, to be thrown,
Where people wail and always groan! ’
‘When Son of Man in glory comes,
His angels will surround Him then,
And He will sit in His great throne!
All nations will stand before Him,
He’ll separate one from the next,
Like shepherd does with sheep and goats.’
‘He’ll place his sheep onto His right
And place the goats onto his left;
To those on right, the king will say,
‘Ye, blessed by my Father, come,
Into the kingdom made for you,
From the beginning of the world! ’
‘For, I was hungry, you gave food;
And I was thirsty, you gave drink;
I was a stranger, you welcomed;
I lay naked and me, you clothed;
When I was ill, for me, you cared;
When in prison, visit, you paid.’
The righteous then will ask the Lord,
‘When did we feed you while hungry?
When did we offer drink in thirst?
When did we welcome you stranger?
When did we clothe you when naked?
When did we care for you when ill?
When did we see you in prison? ’
The king will say to them again,
‘Amen, I say to you, amen,
Whatev’r you did unto the least
Brothers of mine, you did for me! ’
Then he will say to ones on left,
‘Depart from me, you accursed all,
Into the fire eternal,
Prepared for Satan and devils.’
‘For, when I was in hunger great,
You never gave me food to eat;
And when in thirst, for drink, I asked,
You never cared to offer me.’
‘When like a stranger, I met you,
You never cared to welcome me;
I lay all naked, without clothes,
You never cared to spare a dress;
In prison when I became ill,
You never cared to visit me.’
They will then answer and say, ‘Lord,
When were you hungry and thirsty?
When were you naked, a stranger?
When did we fail to meet your needs? ’
He’ll answer them and say, ‘Amen,
What you didn’t do to ones the least,
You did not do unto me too! ’
‘And these will get eternal rod,
While righteous get eternal life! ’
(6-13-2007)
poem by John Celes
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Jesus Tempted
“The Tempter tempts the Creator –
Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
The Lord was just a man like us
But lived a sin-free life on earth.”
The Spirit then took Jesus Christ
Into the desert for some days;
For forty days and forty nights,
He fasted and fervently prayed.
And in that weary state of mind
And body when Christ Jesus lay,
The Tempter Satan came beside
To test the Lord and make Him prey!
Oh, what a time, the Tempter chose
To try to bait the Lord Jesus!
He didn’t spare ev’n the Son of God,
And chose His weakest moment too.
‘Oh, you must be so hungry now!
Why don’t you turn these stones to bread?
Oh, what a suggestion to make
Reminding Christ, His powers divine! ’
The wily Satan thought Jesus
Would succumb to his proposal;
But Jesus knew why Father sent
Him to be born as man on earth.
‘Man does not live by bread alone,
But by each word that God utters, ’
said Jesus to the Tempter and
Got over His first temptation.
Then Satan took Christ up the roof
Of Jerusalem temple high,
And urged Him to jump down at once,
For angels would prevent His hurt!
‘Don’t test thy Lord, ’ the Scripture says,
said Jesus Christ to Satan then.
Satan showed Him the wealth on earth,
Promised Him if He worshipped him.
But Jesus spoke sternly to Him –
‘Thou shalt worship thy Lord alone! ’ –
the scripture says, ‘Oh, don’t you know;
Begone then Satan, ’ and he left.
Then Jesus felt truly hungry;
Angels ministered unto Him.
The Tempter failed deceiving Christ,
And Jesus won full victory.
When Satan can tempt Christ Himself,
All mankind is his soft target;
Temptations come to every man;
Yet, we mustn’t fall a prey to them!
Our faith in God must remain strong;
We ought to stay alert all life;
The Holy Spirit within us
Will help to ward off every strife.
Copyright by Dr John Celes 3-1-2009
poem by John Celes
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Hymn 107
The fall and recovery of man; or, Christ and Satan at enmity.
Gen. 3:1,15,17; Gal. 4:4; Col. 2:15.
Deceived by subtle snares of hell,
Adam, our head, our father, fell;
When Satan, in the serpent hid,
Proposed the fruit that God forbid.
Death was the threat'ning: death began
To take possession of the man
His unborn race received the wound,
And heavy curses smote the ground.
But Satan found a worse reward;
Thus saith the vengeance of the Lord
"Let everlasting hatred be
Betwixt the woman's seed and thee.
"The woman's seed shall be my Son;
He shall destroy what thou hast done;
Shall break thy head, and only feel
Thy malice raging at his heel."
He spake; and bid four thousand years
Roll on; at length his Son appears;
Angels with joy descend to earth,
And sing the young Redeemer's birth.
Lo, by the sons of hell he dies;
But as he hung 'twixt earth and skies,
He gave their prince a fatal blow,
And triumphed o'er the powers below.]
poem by Isaac Watts
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Let Me Avenge Satan
Let me avenge Satan,
For tempting me all life;
He is the big Liar,
Who brought me all my strife.
Let me avenge Satan,
For accusing mankind;
He gives false promises,
And confuses each mind.
Let me avenge Satan,
For misleading all souls;
His craftiness is clear,
And wily are his roles.
Let me avenge Satan,
For giving me my woes;
He’s the fallen angel,
The Chief among my foes.
Let me avenge Satan,
For goading me to sin;
He‘s the source of evil,
Against whom I must win.
Let me avenge Satan,
For giving bad advice;
He is my betrayer,
Who lures all into vice.
Let me avenge Satan,
For setting snares for me;
He waits to ambush me
In my iniquity.
Let me avenge Satan,
For making my eyes dim;
And raising doubts in me,
And turning my life grim.
Let me avenge Satan,
For causing wars on earth;
And spreading hatred great,
Amongst siblings since birth.
Let me avenge Satan,
For telling just untruth; ;
And tempting Eve to eat,
The God-forbidden fruit.
Let me avenge Satan,
For goading Cain to kill
His brother dear Abel,
And keeping not God’s will.
Let me avenge Satan.
For tempting Lord Jesus,
After forty-days’ fast,
And thwarting mankind’s bliss.
Let me avenge Satan,
For taking souls to hell,
God made for all devils,
And angels all who fell.
Copyright by Dr John Celes 2-11-2008
poem by John Celes
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The Darkest Hour
The world is truly a volatile place, much in need of protective grace,
The Grace of The Sovereign Lord, when His help below is implored.
Even when He’s not thought of, God moves, based upon His Love,
A Love which goes unparalleled, in opposing the evil forces of Hell.
The very forces plaguing the world, with all the darkest yet unfurled.
Yet all of the evil Satan may rail, against The Lord, shall not prevail,
God above shall protect His Own, through the Power of His Throne.
As Satan causes evil to flourish, wicked hearts involved, will perish.
All the terror we see upon earth, will in the end become much worse,
As Satan enters the heart of more, nations of men against our Lord.
The end shall come like a flood, as evil spills untold innocent blood,
As evil goes on without restraint, causing even the mightiest to faint.
When by God, The Spirit is taken; all of this earth shall be forsaken,
By the Light and Peace of God, left victim of Satan’s wrath and rod.
If this end time is not cut short, through the intervention of The Lord,
Satan would destroy all human life, through his dark, end time strife.
All this evil will be destroyed, when, The Lord of Glory returns again,
Ending all Satan’s wickedness, as it’s destroyed, by Righteousness,
The Righteousness of Christ alone, when He comes to save His own,
And bring in a Kingdom for all to see, will last throughout all Eternity.
(Copyright ©10/2007)
Bible Stories: Ruth (Part II)
A man of wealth great was Boaz-
A kinsman of Elimelech,
The (dead) husband of Naomi.
Ruth asked Naomi to permit
Her glean among the ears of grain
In rich Boaz’s field that day;
Naomi told her to do so.
Young Ruth began to glean the ears
After the reapers, in the field
Of rich Boaz, from morn that day;
From Bethlehem, then Boaz came
And told the reapers all that day,
‘May Lord, our God be with you all.’
And they replied, ‘May He bless you! ’
Boaz then asked his servant nigh,
‘Who is that young woman that gleans? ’
The servant said, ‘A Moabite
With Naomi, from Moab-land.’
Ruth begged Boaz, ‘Please let me glean
And gather grain after reapers! ’
Boaz told Ruth, ‘You may do so,
But venture not into next field.’
She could stay on with his maids there.
He told the servants, ‘Don’t touch her.’
If thirsty, drink from water-jars
Or from what servants shall too draw.
Ruth fell upon her face on ground
And bowed and asked, ‘Is it because
She was a foreigner, she found
Good favor in Boaz’s sight? ’
To this, Boaz replied to her,
‘I am aware of all you’ve done
For your mother-in-law after
Your husband died and how you’d left
Your parents and your place of birth
To people whom you never knew.’
‘May Lord, the God of Israel then
(Under whose wings, you take refuge)
Reward your work that looks so great
And pay wages in accordance.’
To this Ruth said, ‘I’ve found favor
In your sight, lord, indeed so well.
I thank you for your kind words said,
Although I’m not akin your maids! ’
At mealtime Boaz said to Ruth,
‘Come, dip your bread in vinegar,
And served her roasted grains with all.
Ruth ate and seemed so satisfied.
When she arose to glean once more,
Boaz commanded that she glean
Even among the sheaves this time,
And no one was to insult her.
He told them to pull out grain-ears
From sheaves and dropp them purposely,
Allowing Ruth to glean freely,
And no one was to rebuke her!
Until that evening, Ruth had gleaned;
She beat the ears to gather grain;
It was an ephah of barley!
She took the grain into the town
And showed it all to Naomi
Who appeared very satisfied.
Her mother-in-law then asked her,
‘Where did you glean today and work?
May God bless him who favored you! ’
Ruth told her his name was Boaz!
Naomi told, God is so kind
To both the living and the dead.
May God bless Boaz specially
She told, ‘He’s our close relative! ’
Ruth told all that Boaz had said;
Naomi felt so happy that
Ruth had been asked to glean again,
Until the barley harvest ends.
Ruth did as Boaz instructed
And lived with her mother-in-law!
poem by John Celes
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Coloured Eggs II
Satan is the prince of the power of the air!
And, Vesuvius erupted in A.D.79;
With the symbols of fire and light,
However, Hercules was the offspring of Zeus! !
And today, the carnal mind is now enmity against Father Yahweh.
Red-Robed Lord of Misrule and St. Nicholas! !
With Cold and Darkness to the noethern mid-winter;
But, this seed of life is now being ruled by Satan.
Eyes have not seen nor ears heard it!
But, i was in prison and you came to me;
I was sick and you visted me,
And like the persuasive lips of the people around me.
On the thumb of the right hand!
I was thirsty and you gave me drink;
But, Baal-Gad is the same as Lord-God! !
And like the muse of the coloured eggs which are now being worshipped.
poem by Edward Kofi Louis
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God's Grace Our Choice
The Grace of The Almighty God has appeared to all men on the earth,
His Grace helps us to turn from all godlessness through a New Birth.
But many have turned His Gracious gift, His wonderful Gift of Grace,
Into a godless amoral life filled with wicked sin and utter disgrace.
But, Eternal God above is not deceived and won't be mocked at all,
For Eve who gave no thought to Satan's deception lead Adam to fall.
Solomon's words, there is nothing new under the sun, seem to resound,
As people today are being told a Biblical God just can not be found.
Instead they are being told to seek the little god found only within,
This is again a fatal decision and points back to man's original sin.
This message is being spouted by those, who believe they are strong,
Their cry is you don't need to find God, He's been in you all along.
This is today's New Age message, that isn't really that new at all,
Again, Satan first preached this in The Garden, back at Adam's fall.
For many the foolishness of this new thinking may not be very clear,
As Wisdom only comes to those who seek The Lord with a holy fear.
This fear is actually reverence towards God, which today is ignored,
However without His Grace and Holiness, no man will see The Lord.
A lack of Godly reverence in your life is something you can't afford,
For all men since God's Grace appeared, will stand before The Lord.
(Copyright © 06/2002)
False Peace
The fear that is upon the Earth
Causes men to quake
The fear of an atomic war
Is more than man can take.
Of course they seek a saviour
A man to bring them peace
If he comes from God or Satan
The UN said, 'he shall increase'
For this world will give him power
In return for the peace he brings
They will worship and adore him
Sell their souls for many things.
But the peace that he will bring
Will be but a lie from hell
For Satan cannot give man peace
Though a truth in this I'll tell.
Now the prince of the air
Will be given his own place
By the Earth's United Nations
'cause they have refused God's peace through grace.
Now the prince of the air is Satan
And he seeks to rule the Earth
The New Age folk will give him this
For they have not second birth.
And in time atomic war may come
A destruction wrought with fire
Satan's peace confirms his name
As the eternal liar.
But true peace comes from God alone
And in Yeshua the Messiah is found
Not troubled by atomic war -
God's peace is Calvary's ground! !
'Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Yeshua the Messiah'
Romans 5: 1
poem by Richard Merrell
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How Will This World End?
With this world so unstable friend, just how will this world end?
Although not God’s first desire, this world friend will end in fire.
God first desired fellowship when in His image He created men.
He even made Paradise friend, that for them would have no end.
However the fellowship went awry when that ancient serpent lied.
The serpent cunning lied to Eve and she and Adam fell deceived.
That dreaded sin brought a curse upon Adam, Eve and this earth.
Satan has been eternally cursed but man can experience new birth.
At God’s own appointed time Christ renewed God’s initial design.
And at the return of The Lord all things in Christ will be restored.
Even creation groans in expectation of The Creator’s Revelation.
And all things will be made new, all the earth and the heavens too.
The older things will pass away with Righteousness here to stay.
When with fire the earth is purged, it will remove Satan’s scourge.
But Satan who will be chained my friend will be loosed at the end.
Set free to deceive once more, but quickly cast away forevermore.
Because Satan was the father of lies he will face an eternal demise.
Since deception was his desire, he’ll be cast into The Lake of Fire.
Along with Satan, Sin and Death will be cast into The Fire’s depths.
Their smoke rises forevermore while The Kingdom of God endures.
(Copyright ©08/2004)
Bible Stories: Daniel, Bel and the Dragon
When King Astyages died,
Cyrus of Persia became king;
Daniel was his honored companion.
The Babylonians’ idol was Bel;
Each day, they offered twelve bushels of flour,
Forty sheep and fifty gallons of wine;
The king too worshipped Bel;
But Daniel worshipped his own God!
When the King asked Daniel,
‘Why don’t you worship Bel? ’
Daniel answered he didn’t revere
Any man-made idols,
But worshipped the One, living God,
Who’d created heaven and the earth.
The king asked him, “Isn’t Bel’s a living God?
He eats and drinks each day”
But Daniel told him not to be deceived;
The idol was just inner clay,
And outer brass that never ate nor drank.
The angered King ushered the priests,
And ordered them to prove
That Bel ate /drank each day;
If so, Daniel would die for blasphemy;
If not, all of them would be killed;
The priests agreed to prove the same;
There were seventy priests, their wives and children.
The king entered the temple;
The priests asked him to place the food
And wine himself, and shut the door,
And seal it by his signet ring;
The priests didn’t care as below the statue,
They had a secret route through which they went
In and out, devouring the offerings.
When the food had been placed,
Then Daniel sifted ashes all
O’er the temple-floor;
With the help of servants,
in the king’s presence and left;
The door was sealed by the king’s ring.
At night, the priests and others secretly
went in and ate everything;
Next day, the king with Daniel came
And opened the sealed temple door,
But found that the food had vanished!
The king shouted aloud to Bel,
“You’re great and undeceiving God.”
But Daniel laughed and showed the king
The footsteps on the temple’s floor;
The king agreed that it was that of
men, women and children.
The enraged king then seized the priests
They showed the secret route;
They were all put to death;
The king gave Daniel the temple of Bel;
Daniel destroyed both Bel and the temple.
The Babylonians revered a dragon;
The king asked Daniel, “Isn’t this a living God? ”
But Daniel said that he worshipped
Only his one, living God;
If permitted by the king,
He would slay the dragon
by sword or club.
So, Daniel fed the dragon
Cakes containing pitch, fat and hair;
The dragon consumed it all
and burst open dead!
The angered Babylonians
Spread word that the king had turned a Jew;
They demanded that Daniel
Be put into a lion’s den;
Compelled, the king did as they urged.
Daniel was inside the den
For six days with seven lions;
The lions were not fed anything;
They were denied the daily food
Of two human bodies and two sheep.
The prophet Habakkuk was in Judea;
While taking food to the reapers,
God sent an angel to him
And ordered him take dinner to Daniel;
Habakkuk told he had never seen Babylon,
The angel took him by his crown of head
And put him aloft the lion’s den with the food;
The prophet shouted to Daniel
To come and eat the food given by God;
Daniel thanked the Lord for his remembrance.
On seventh day, the king went to the den,
He thought that Daniel would be dead;
To his utter surprise, he was alive;
He took him out and praised
The one living God of Daniel.
He threw into the lion’s den;
All those who plotted against Daniel;
Immediately, they were all killed
And devoured by the hungry lions.
(4-11-2007)
poem by John Celes
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Bible in Poetry: Gospel of St. Matthew (Chapter 21)
At Bethphage on Mount of Olives,
Then, Jesus sent two disciples,
Into the village opposite,
To find a tethered ass and colt,
And bring them to Him, for His use.
If anyone should ask them then,
Reply, ‘Master has need for them.
He will return them soon after.’
This happened so that what was told
Through prophet might be fulfilled thus:
‘Say to daughter Zion, behold,
Your king comes meek, upon an ass,
And on a colt, beast of burden.’
His disciples did as He told.
They brought the ass and colt and laid,
Their cloaks upon them and He rode.
The large crowd spread their cloaks en route,
While others strew cut branches green,
En way to town Jerusalem.
They walked ahead of Him saying,
‘The Son of David, Hosanna,
Blessed‘s He who comes in the Lord’s name;
Hosanna in the Highest.’
On entering Jerusalem,
The whole city began to ask,
‘Who is this who shakes the town? ’
The crowds replied, ‘Prophet Jesus,
From Nazareth in Galilee! ’
Jesus went into the temple,
And drove out those who bought and sold;
He overturned their tables, seats,
Of money-changers, dove-sellers.
He said unto them, ’ ’tis written,
My house shall be for just prayer;
You shall not make it den of thieves! ’
He cured the blind and lame who came,
To Him, to the temple area.
On seeing Jesus do wonders,
And hearing children cry aloud,
‘Hosanna, Son of David king! ’
The scribes and chief priests turned angry!
They asked, ‘Do you hear what they say? ’
And Jesus said, ‘Yes, haven’t you read:
‘Out of the mouths of infants, kids,
You have brought forth praise unto God! ’
Then Jesus went to Bethany,
And there, He spent the night that day!
And being hungry, when dawn came,
He saw a fig-tree by the road;
But when He went over to it,
He found just leaves and not a fruit!
The angered Lord, then cursed the tree,
‘May you never fruit forth again! ’
The tree withered immediately.
This astonished His disciples;
They asked him what He had just done?
Then Jesus said, ‘Amen to you,
If you have faith and don’t waver,
You can do things similarly;
And if you tell the mountain, ‘Be
Lifted and thrown into the sea,
It shall be done too, instantly! ’
‘Whatev’r you pray along with faith,
You will receive, ‘the Lord, saith.
When He approached the temple place,
The chief priests, elders asked Him then,
‘By what authority, you do?
And who gave you authority? ’
Then Jesus told them, ‘I’ll ask you
One question and if you answer,
I will tell you what you ask of me.’
‘Tell where was John’s baptism from,
Was it of earth or from heaven? ’
They discussed ’mongst themselves and said,
‘If we reply, from heaven, then
He’ll ask, ‘why don’t you believe him? ’
‘If of human origin, then,
We fear the crowd for they regard
The Baptist John as a prophet! ’
So, they told Jesus, ‘We don’t know! ’
He replied, ‘Neither shall I tell,
Who empowers me to do these things.’
Then Jesus asked their opinion:
A man with two sons, said to first,
‘Go, work in the vineyard today! ’
He said, ‘I can’t, ’ but changed his mind
And went to work as father told.
The man then came to his other
Son, gave a similar order;
He said, ‘Yes, I’ll.’ But never went.
‘Which son obeyed his father’s words? ’
They answered in reply, ‘The first! ’
Then Jesus said, ‘Amen, I say,
Tax-collectors and prostitutes
Are entering Heaven ‘foe you! ’
When John had come and preached to you,
The righteous way, you didn’t believe;
Tax-collectors, prostitutes did.
Yet, even after seeing it,
You did not change for the better.
He told another parable:
A vineyard owner raised a hedge
Around it, dug a wine-press too
And erected a watch-tower;
He leased it to some tenants then
And went off on a journey far.
When vintage time drew near, he sent
His servants to obtain produce;
The tenants seized the servants all:
They beat one man and stoned the next;
They killed one servant from the group;
The owner sent then more servants;
They treated them in similar ways;
He sent his son finally then
Thinking, ‘They will respect my son! ’
On seeing son of landowner,
The tenants told one another
‘This is the heir to the vineyard;
Let’s kill him and acquire the land.’
They killed the boy and threw him out.’
‘How will the owner deal tenants? ’
They answered him, ‘he’ll put to death
The wretched tenants; lease vineyard
To other tenants who will give
Him produce at the proper times.’
Then Jesus asked them, ‘Didn’t you read
What scriptures said long ago then:
‘The stone, the builders rejected,
Became the cornerstone and chief
And this was done by God, most High,
And looks wonderful in our eyes! ’
Therefore, I say to you again,
‘The kingdom shall be tak’n away
from you and giv’n to people who
Produce its fruits as per God’s word.
The one who falls upon this stone
Will be to pieces dashed at once
And it will crush on whom it falls! ’
When Pharisees and chief priests heard,
The parables that spoke of them,
They wanted to arrest Him but
Feared the crowds that followed Him,
Regarding Him, Prophet of God.
Copyright by Dr John Celes 6-7-2007
poem by John Celes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Bible in Poetry: Gospel of St. Matthew (Chapter 16)
The Pharisees and Sadducees
To Jesus came, to test and asked,
‘Do show us a heavenly sign.’
He replied, ‘If evening sky’s red,
Tomorrow will be fair, you say.
If morning sky be red, today
Will be rather a stormy day.’
You know to judge the sky’s patterns,
Yet, cannot judge the signs of times.’
For a generation evil,
And unfaithful one, no sign will
Be given, except Jonah’s sign.
Then, He left them and went away..
On the other side of the sea,
They found that they had not brought bread.
And Jesus said, ‘Look out, beware
Of the leaven of Pharisees.’
His disciples thought, Jesus said
Because they had no bread with them.
Then Jesus said, ‘you faithless ones,
Why did you draw such conclusion? ’
‘Didn’t you remember the five loaves
That fed five thousand and more ones?
Didn’t you remember the seven,
That fed four thousand and more ones?
How many loaves remained also!
How is that you don’t comprehend?
The leaven of the bread had meant
The teachings of the Pharisees! ’
In Caesarea Philippi,
He asked, ‘what do people say I’m? ’
They said, ‘Some say, John, the Baptist,
Others, Jeremiah, prophets! ’
He then asked, ‘What do you say I’m? ’
Then Peter said, ‘You’re Messiah,
Son of the Living God, that’s One.’
And Jesus then said, ‘Blessed are you
O Simon Peter, Jonah’s son.
For, flesh and blood didn’t reveal this,
But my heavenly Father just.’
And so I say to you Peter,
‘Upon this rock, I’ll build my church..
The nether gates shall not prevail.
I’ll give the Kingdom’s keys to you.
Whatev’r you bind on earth shall be
Bound also in heaven likewise;
What you loosen on earth shall be
Loosened in heaven, similarly! ’
He ordered them not to reveal
That He was truly Messiah! ’
Then Jesus told his disciples
He must go to Jerusalem,
And suffer greatly from elders,
Chief priests and scribes, and be killed then,
And to become raised on third day!
Then Peter taking him aside
Said, ‘God forbid Lord, let nothing
Like that ever happen to you! ’
But Jesus said to Peter then,
‘Just get behind me, Satan, you,
You’re an obstacle to me too!
You are not thinking as God does.
You think as human beings do.’
Then Jesus said, ‘Whoever wants
To follow me must deny things
Take up his cross and come after.
For, he who saves his life shall lose,
Who loses life for my sake, lives! ’
‘What profits one to gain the world
But just forfeit his life on earth?
What can one’s life be exchanged for? ’
‘Amen I say, some of you here,
Will not taste death, until you see
The Son of Man come in glory,
By angels flanked one day, surely! ’
(6-3-2007)
poem by John Celes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Advice In The Wilderness
I dreamt I saw Christ walking
Within the wilderness...
And with Him, Satan talking,
To curse and not to bless...
I watched the Devil laughing
At Jesus all alone,
And as the Lord was starving,
Advised, 'Make bread from stone...'
Lord Jesus quoted what He'd learnt,
That Man needs more than bread,
That comes to us from ovens burnt,
So that each one is fed...
Each word of God can feed the soul,
As if a child within,
So that it gains some self-control
And faith that won't give in...
Then Satan promised all the lands,
The kingdoms he possessed,
If Jesus merely raised His hands
In worship, He'd be blessed!
Lord Jesus knew His Father's will,
The Lamb of God was He!
The Saviour who would climb that hill
That men called Calvary!
The Devil merely cleared his throat,
As he continued on
And of the Scriptures he took note,
'One life, then it is gone...
If you fell from a mountain top,
God would protect His Son...'
But Jesus Christ refused to drop,
To test what could be done...
To Calvary, Christ went to die...
A crown of thorns to wear...
To suffer shame for you and I,
Man's shameful sins to bear...
God's great advice He listened to,
By faith, He bled and bled...
You see, He knew God's Word was true...
Enough to raise the dead!
poem by Denis Martindale
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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God Can’t Be Beaten
Satan the world has so deceived
Through wanton lust for sin
But faith, the gift through Christ’s received
Will see God’s children win
True knowledge that the Lord is real
We purchase through belief
When in due course God’s strength we feel
It’s then to Satan’s grief
The devil tries to keep us blind
The truth he seeks to hide
But God is never hard to find
With Jesus as our guide
We need but come to seek His face
The Lord who’s true and just
Will wrap us in His warm embrace
To Satan’s sheer disgust
Power through prayer will Christ bestow
To cast the foe from sight
Though God at times may seem us slow
His timing’s always right
Satan would have us think him dead
So man from Christ would stray
But those who hold the Lord has said
Will live to win the day
Through faith alone our God we trust
Through faith, the Lord we please
Faith also brings to eat the dust
The devil to his knees
Through Christ who is who’s first and last
Who lives though once was dead
When Satan tells you of your past
Remind Him what’s ahead.
poem by Michael P. Johnson
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Story of Christmas in Verse
Two thousand years ago on earth,
God’s love was born in baby form
By Bethlehem town’s boy king’s birth,
In freezing cold of stable warm!
A virgin turned Mother of God –
The Holy Spirit’s miracle!
The boy was King, Redeemer, Lord;
He talked to all by parable.
God’s son had chosen poverty;
The news was told to shepherds first;
Sinners could get eternity,
If they were sorry, took to Christ.
Divine love fleshed in Mary’s womb!
The man named Jesus would be great;
Death could not lock him in a tomb;
He was satan’s final defeat!
The sinless man grew up all wise;
He learnt the Scripture’s words by heart,
And took Pharisees by surprise,
From tender age, right from the start!
God loved His only Son begot;
The Son obeyed His Father’s word;
Both peace and joy on earth, He brought;
He was the Good Shepherd and Lord!
‘Merry Christmas to all on earth! ’
From parishners of Holy Family Church, Perundurai
Copyright by Dr John Celes 25-12-2011
poem by John Celes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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God Rest Ye Merry, Gentleman
God rest ye merry, gentlemen
Let nothing you dismay
Remember, Christ, our Saviour
Was born on Christmas day
To save us all from Satan's power
When we were gone astray
O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy
In Bethlehem, in Israel,
This blessed Babe was born
And laid within a manger
Upon this blessed morn
The which His Mother Mary
Did nothing take in scorn
O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy
From God our Heavenly Father
A blessed Angel came;
And unto certain Shepherds
Brought tidings of the same:
How that in Bethlehem was born
The Son of God by Name.
O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy
"Fear not then," said the Angel,
"Let nothing you affright,
This day is born a Saviour
Of a pure Virgin bright,
To free all those who trust in Him
From Satan's power and might."
O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy
The shepherds at those tidings
Rejoiced much in mind,
And left their flocks a-feeding
In tempest, storm and wind:
And went to Bethlehem straightway
The Son of God to find.
O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy
And when they came to Bethlehem
Where our dear Saviour lay,
They found Him in a manger,
Where oxen feed on hay;
His Mother Mary kneeling down,
Unto the Lord did pray.
O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy
Now to the Lord sing praises,
All you within this place,
And with true love and brotherhood-aca
song performed by by Carly Simon
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Genesis BK XIX
(ll. 1167-1180) And after Cainan Mahalaleel possessed the land
and treasure many a year. The prince lived five-and-sixty
winters, and begat a son. An heir was born unto his house, and
his kinsmen called him Jared, as I have heard. Mahalaleel lived
long, enjoying bliss on earth, the joys of men, and worldly
treasure. And all the years of Mahalaleel were eight hundred
five-and-ninety winters, and he died, and gave the land and rule
unto his son.
(ll. 1180-1196) A long time Jared dealt out gold to men. He was
a righteous prince, a noble earl, dear to his kinsmen He lived
an hundred five-and-sixty winters in the world, and, when her
time was come, his wife brought forth her first-born, a goodly
son. And his name was Enoch. Eight hundred years his father
lived, and increased his tribe. And all the years of Jared were
nine hundred five-and-sixty winters, and he died, and gave the
land and rule unto his son, the wise and well-loved prince.
(ll. 1197-1217) And Enoch ruled the folk, led them in ways of
peace, and no wise let his sway and power lessen, while he was
lord over his kinsmen. Now Enoch prospered and increased his
tribe three hundred years. And God, the Lord of heaven, was
gracious unto him! In his natural body he entered into heavenly
joy and the glory of God, dying no mortal death as men do here,
the young and old, what time God taketh from them wealth and
substance and earthly treasure and their life; but with the King
of angels he departed still alive out of this fleeting life, in
the same vestments which his soul received before his mother bare
him. He left the people to his eldest son. And all the years of
Enoch were three hundred five-and-sixty winters, and he died.
(ll. 1217-1224) Then Methuselah held sway among his kinsmen, and
longest of all men enjoyed the pleasures of this world. He begat
a multitude of sons and daughters before his death. And all the
years of Methuselah were nine hundred and seventy winters, and he
died.
(ll. 1224-1236) And Lamech, his son, succeeded him and kept the
treasure. Long time he ruled the land. He lived an hundred and
two winters, and begat children. And the lord and leader of the
folk lived five hundred five-and-ninety years, enjoying many
winters under heaven, ruling the folk with wisdom. And Lamech
increased his tribe, begetting sons and daughters. He called the
name of the first-born Noah; and Noah ruled the land after the
death of Lamech.
(ll. 1237-1247) Now Noah, the lord of men, lived five hundred
winters, as the books say, and begat children. The first-born
son of Noah was Shem, and the second Ham, and the third Japheth.
And the folk grew in number under heaven, and the multitude of
the race of men increased throughout the earth. The tribe of
Seth, the well-loved prince, was still exceeding dear to God, and
blessed in His love!
Bible Stories: Job (Chapter XXXXII)
I know You do just everything;
To You, no one can hindrance bring;
May be, I’ve dealt with some great things-
Things all unknown to e’en earth’s kings!
No one can block your purpose, Lord;
I came to know You by mouth’s word;
And now, my eyes both have seen God;
I’m sorry for whatev’r I said.
Of things I knew, I cannot know;
They are so wonderful Lord, O!
I disown things I said before;
In ashes, dust, I repent, Oh!
The Lord then spoke to Eliphaz,
‘I’m angry with you three, because
How you spoke to Job of me was
Never aright and made Job worse.’
‘My servant Job had spoken right;
Take bullocks, rams all seven each
To job who’ll pray with all his might,
To make up for your blunders, breach.’
‘Concerning me, you didn’t talk well,
As well as my servant Job’s spell!
I’ll accept his prayer to not
To punish severely, I thought.’
Eliphaz, Zohar, Bildad did
According to what God had bid.
God accepted Job’s prayer soon
For all, life turned from bane to boon!
God then restored Job’s sad a plight,
After Job prayed for friends aright;
He blessed him two-fold as before,
And Job was happy, all the more.
His relatives came back to him,
Enquiring how life had turned grim;
They condoled, comforted him also,
And shared their wealth with him therefore.
The latter days of Job were blessed,
More than the earlier ones, God dressed;
God gave him immense cattle-wealth;
He lived one-forty years in health.
He had sons seven, daughters three-
Most beautiful women truly;
Job died when he was ripe in years,
And saw his great grand-children-dears!
poem by John Celes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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