Someone Else's Slave

Pond’ring pathways in my brain,

Finding phantoms I cannot explain,

Quite assured that I must be

So much more than I can see,

More than earthly life and limb contain…

Wond’ring why I choose to go

Far beyond the reasoned roads I know,

Reaching past forbidden doors,

Tasting fruit with poisoned cores,

Planting furrows that refuse to grow…

Wildly straining to be free,

There’s a chain that shackles me,

Binding conscience with how I behave.

Resignation fills my eyes,

For I’ve come to realize

Everybody is somebody’s slave.

We are precious merchandise,

Purchased once, created twice;

Carried off by cosmic lies,

Who could pay so high a price?

From the land where bonds are free,

To the home where foes are brave,

Jesus came to ransom me

To be Someone else’s slave!

Deathly sure of my repose,

Living for the gods I thought I chose,

Playing fast and loose with fate,

Hoping I’ll pass Heaven’s gate

By some clever logic I’d propose…

Laughing lightly at the laws,

Unseen hands effecting ev’ry cause,

Never noticing their scars

As they feed me through the bars,

Poised to snatch me from hell’s gaping jaws…

They say, “Check the lost and found;

Freedom’s train runs underground!

Angels told us that He came to save…

Child, you ought to know by now,

Let your mind conceive somehow;

Everybody is somebody’s slave.

Brother, fortify your nerve,

Bracing for the final choice.

Choose this day whom you will serve

And discern your shepherd’s voice.

Death’s defenses bursting through

From a resurrection grave,

Jesus came to ransom you

To be Someone else’s slave!”

MNA

12/4/1992

More Than Bread

He entered the earthy Jordan

   and for sinners was immersed.

He carried a fleshly burden,

   though by evil never cursed.

He faced our fiendish warden

   who dealt out his wicked worst.

Now, let every soul adore Him---

   love the One who loved us first.

Through the waters of decision let us follow

To the wilderness of trial let us tread.

Through the Word and in His Spirit let us answer,

"Lord, Your children live by more than bread."

More than by bread alone:

That's what our Savior said.

To Him our hearts have flown.

We live, who once were dead!

Orphans are now His own,

By Him our souls are fed,

For Jesus left His throne

To live by more than bread.

He entered the mount of Zion,

   unimpressed by their applause.

He earned the power to strive on,

   for He kept His heavenly cause.

He faced death, bold as a lion,

   letting captors bind His paws.

He then bore the cross we die on,

   locking fast the dragon's jaws.

To the hill of crucifixion let us follow.

Joyful news of resurrection let us spread.

In the barracks and the battle both we answer:

"Lord, Your soldiers live by more than bread!"

More than by bread alone:

That's what our Captain said.

By guiltless blood made one,

Our praises crown His head!

While enemies might groan,

By His sure Word we're led,

For Jesus left His throne

To live by more than bread.

He entered the gates of glory,

   forever reclaimed His right.

His good pleasure now implore we

   as He calls us through the night.

His pattern fleshed out the story

   of the war He bids us fight,

He pilots through oceans stormy

   those who keep His face in sight.

Through the challenges ahead we gladly follow,

Feeding on each faithful Word our King has said.

Whether living or by dying may we answer:

"Your disciples live by more than bread!"

More than by bread alone:

That's what our Teacher said.

He'll never "give a stone"---

His love is clearly read

In pages, flesh and bone;

To us His mercy sped,

For Jesus left His throne

To live by more than bread.

MNA

3/18/1996

Seventy Times Seven

Judgment and forgiveness in weeks of years contained...

Love combined with justice...rejection and pursuit...

God's prophetic pages with godly tears are stained,

Wept to wet a garden full of immortal fruit.

Seventy times seven, since Ephraim returned

To a land now rested from stolen Sabbaths all...

Seventy times seven, save one, since Christ was spurned,

One dread final "seven" awaits the Master's call.

At His joyful entry the nation could have knelt:

Childlike folk acclaimed Him while fathers turned aside...

Vast angelic wonder: His prayer when death was dealt!

"Father, please forgive them. They're blinded by their pride."

Seventy times seven, a pattern Jesus set

For a true disciple by world or brother hurt...

Seventy times seven: we have not suffered yet

As our Savior suffered; His way we can't desert.

Likely hailed and hated through our three-score and ten.

Our supreme Forgiver, His strength cut off halfway,

Grants renewal, redemption, raised up with Him again...

Present both in sufferings and in the debts we pay.

Seventy times seven, to thankful, godly hearts,

Seems no cost for patience, no pain for perfect love.

Seventy times seven. Among all human arts,

Glad forgiveness pictures the grace of life above.

MNA

1993(?)

O Light of Men

Into Adam's race You crept,

Secret many ages kept--

You, the fount, the living spout

Man could never figure out.

On the scene of souls' despair--

Cursed creation, lurker's lair--

Here You lived, and lived again,

Spirit-sired, O Light of Men!

Sirens silent, beacons black,

Loathing to admit our lack,

Parents of pathetic choice, 

Lost in spite of Sinai's voice,

Molding, with no straw supplied,

Bricks to build a hopeless pride,

Broken by the broken Ten,

Lived by You, O Light of Men!

Reason dark, emotions bland,

Wills enslaved by duties damned,

Ev'ry impulse aimed within,

No alternative but sin,

Self-deceived and running blind,

Never could we frame or find

Homes to house our crippled ken

'Til You shone, O Light of Men

Those who should have loved You most

Trifled with creation's Host.

Only those with naught to lose

Clearly heard Your simple truths.

Paltry few would break away

From the "wisdom" of their day.

So we rarely love You when

Others mock, O Light of Men.

Not in worthy words alone,

Nor in signs You glory shone,

But especially Your life,

Calmly lived amid our strife,

Ev'ry thought and action planned

By Your Father's kind command,

Signed Your scroll with sacred pen,

Spotless Lamb, O Light of Men!

Anger, hatred, dread and doubt

All conspired to snuff You out.

Lifeless Lantern on a cross,

Stifled signal... O what loss!

Had Your glory proved untrue,

No god would have rescued You...

But our Sun blazed forth again!

You arose, O Light of Men!

To our souls now, evermore,

You present an open door.

In our hearts You now create

Lamps Your love to radiate.

From our wild, benighted minds,

You at last remove the blinds.

Useless eyes now see again,

Touched by You, O Light of Men!

Eyes of faith now clearly see,

As I trust Your will for me.

All I seek, my spirit knows,

Hid, in You, from fleshly woes,

Trained for each ascending stage

By Your Spirit's holy page,

Joining soon, with glad "Amen!"

Your bright host, O Light of Men!

MNA

October, 1994

Life as God’s Gift…or Being a Pawn

Our culture has largely rejected the concept of Absolute Truth. Many, if not most, of the people we rub shoulders with adhere to a value system that excludes a belief in any divine standard of right and wrong. The Ten Commandments are considered outmoded at best, or else openly ridiculed as ancient naivete.

There is a value system that does prevail in our culture, however. Without a consensus of absolute standards, which characterized our society up to the 1960s, say, the system that took hold of the minds of people was largely Hedonistic. What mattered to people wasn’t so much right vs. wrong, or the question of doing one’s duty, as it was achieving personal pleasure and avoiding personal pain.

This shift away from God’s word, the Bible, as our life’s blueprint, produced incredibly rapid changes in our society. Changes in areas of sexual conduct, protection of the unborn, respect for parents and the elderly, traditional work ethics, politics and statesmanship, honesty and fair dealing, simple patriotic love, parental responsibility, etc.: all these areas morphed into mere shadows of what they were formerly. Hedonistic ME-ism insisted that each person had the liberty to self-determine each and every facet of life.

Life used to be considered a Gift from a benevolent, all-wise Creator, a gift that brought with it both privileges and responsibilities. Each person has a conscience, for example. A still, small voice that regulates our desires and our choices, telling us what is right and what is wrong. The Gift of Life is telling us to be responsible and do the right, not the wrong. But the hedonist has learned to ignore his or her conscience if it promises pleasure or avoids discomfort in the short term.

People with power over others have learned how to use this Hedonistic bent to manipulate us. Media owners and producers can subtly control us by the ads they broadcast, the narratives they spin, the stories they tell and those they ignore. They’ve learned that people no longer engage in deep thinking but, instead, let their feelings of the moment determine their course. Sound bites and 3-second images are imprinted on our minds with no time to truly engage our brains before it’s on to the next surface impression. This technique can convince millions of people that a narrative is true when it’s not.

Instant technologies such as smart phones have intensified this problem, placing the power of endless images and data-bits in our hands, convincing us that we are informed enough about our world to be “experts” about what’s happening. We forget that true expert knowledge requires long, arduous thinking about a wide range of subject matter. True experts have learned to say “no” to gratification long and often enough to become aware of all the various viewpoints involved, and how they interact.

It’s unfortunate that manipulated populations are mostly unaware of being pawns in the hands of someone’s political grab for power, or the algorithm of a distant, wealthy tech wizard, or even some billionaire in another country who finances protests and riots in our own land; and that those who are aware of it are happy to be so used, or at least apathetic about it.

The only way to stop the ungodly fallout of this state of affairs, in my opinion, is Spiritual Renewal. In short, a penitential U-turn back to Absolute Truth, the wisdom and order given in God’s revealed Word. His is an eternal truth that not only governs the physical universe, but sees human life as the Gift it truly is, with all its privileges and responsibilities. Letting this eternal truth govern our desires and our choices can guide our culture back onto the path of deeper thought, truer devotion to Him, and taking our duty to each other in society more seriously.

MNA

1/29/26

His Christmas Call

 

Snap of December wind,

blindness from drifting flake,

redness of skin exposed

to scant degrees that make

seasonal shoppers long

for respite in the glow

of heated hearths at home

after their to-and-fro

journeys in car or van,

seeking for treasures rare—

wreaths, jewelry, video games,

socks, thermal underwear—

in shops and urban malls,

cozy or warehouse-bleak,

finding the right surprise

under their trees to sneak,

twinkling of backup lights

in slushy parking lots,

jangling of Salv-o bells,

barrels from Toys for Tots,

reindeer and stocking stuff,

lists from siblings and kids

naming each fad desire,

antifreeze, icy skids

out on the dreamy streets

decked since Thanksgiving day

with holly, lights and elves,

crèches along the way

between vanity faire

and that celestial towne

never more pie-in-sky

than when Noel rolls ‘round:

these scenes and millions more

crowd in to draw our gaze

away from plans divine,

from God’s redemptive maze

followed by saints in ways

miraculous and mild

till angels sang to hail

Mary’s thrice-holy child.

Still, I suppose it’s fit

that Jesus’ birth must fight

through weather, bother, greed,

to greet us in the night;

His coming wasn’t meant

to outdo pleasure’s blast,

but Mary’s little Lamb,

to solve our sinful past,

had to sneak into town

past Satan’s watchful eye

and live a life un-lost,

then lay it down to die.

He had to sacrifice,

for no man could restore

righteousness to our race—

depraved right to the core;

God’s character demands

guilt bearers must be cursed,

but—praise Him!—grace allows

the last to enter first.

While man ignored his God

and wandered long in sin,

the Shepherd-Lamb prepared

to call transgressors in

where thieves will never steal

His precious sheep away;

and so the call went out

as still it does today.

Christ Jesus, God in flesh,

sends out this gracious call

to trust Him and obey

this Child who gave His all;

He offers as a gift

forgiveness fair and free;

On Him the curse was cast,

first meant for you and me.

He offers life anew

for any who will bow

his heart and mind and will

and love this Savior now.

This Babe of Bethlehem

became Golgotha’s Lamb;

His blood has paid the price

for sinners’ guilt and shame.

But, risen, as He said,

His Christmas call goes out:

“Don’t miss Me, or you’ll miss

what Yuletide’s all about!”

MNA (Have a blessed Christmas!)

Jesus, the Child of Christmas

(a new Christmas song to a familiar tune)

Caesar Augustus ordered

All the world to be enrolled,

For God the Father planned it

His redemption to unfold.

Mary and Joseph traveled

To the town of Bethlehem

And had to use a stable,

For no room was at the inn.

Lo! Some shepherds heard that night

Herald angels say:

Good news! For in David’s town,

Christ the Lord is born this day!

They hurried to the manger,

And they shouted out with glee:

“We have beheld the Savior,

Witnessed His nativity!”

(2nd verse)

Later, there came some wise men,

Following His star on high,

For they had heard the prophets

Say a Ruler’s birth was nigh.

So, they inquired of Herod

Where the Baby would be born;

“In Bethlehem,” they answered.

“Search for Him,” the king implored.

At the Savior’s house they gave

Homage to the King:

Gold and frankincense and myrrh

Were their reverent offerings.

Then they went home but never

Aided Herod’s evil plan,

For they were warned he wanted

To destroy the Son of Man!

(3rd verse)

Joseph, the Child and Mary

Fled away to Egypt-land,

Told in an angel vision

Of old Herod’s wicked plan.

So Jesus came from Egypt 

Like the Hebrews did before,

Fulfilling sacred Scripture:

“Out of there, My Son’s called forth!”

He became a Nazarene,

Up in Galilee,

Grew up as a Carpenter,

Obeyed the Father perfectly.

Teaching the truth and healing

All who looked to Him in faith,

He gave His life to save us,

And He lives–our King of Grace!

Jesus, the Child of Christmas:

Now He reigns as King of Grace!

(May be sung to the “Rudolph Reindeer” tune)