The Way of Calvary ~ Christian Poetry

Deceitful the way
They captured You:
By a friend betrayed,
Bound and taken away.

Fearful the way
They deserted You:
As accusers tread,
All Your followers fled.

Shameful the way
They taunted You:
All their jeering heard,
Yet You spoke not a word.

Painful the way
They tortured You:
While Your flesh was torn,
Soldiers mocked to scorn.

Awful the way
They crucified You:
Hammered nails were heard,
On a cross undeserved.

Boastful the way
They buried You:
Guarded day and night,
With the tomb sealed tight.

Joyful the way
They discovered You:
“He is risen,” confessed;
By hundreds, witnessed.

Tearful the way
They gazed up at You:
Into clouds, did ascend,
But You’ll come back again.

Wonderful the way
We’re saved by You:
From our sins, set free,
Because of Calvary.

****

Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. (‭Isaiah‬ ‭53‬:‭4-5‬ NASB)

Sue Nash/2015
Photo is of the cross at our church

For similar posts, see Easter

At Calvary ~ Golden Oldie Hymn

With Easter approaching, my thoughts always shift to the cross and to what Christ accomplished at Calvary.  Join with me in remembering this lovely old hymn,

At Calvary
by William Newell.
1895

Sung by Lynda Randle

At Calvary

Years I spent in vanity and pride,
Caring not my Lord was crucified,
Knowing not it was for me He died
On Calvary.
Refrain:
Mercy there was great, and grace was free;
Pardon there was multiplied to me;
There my burdened soul found liberty
At Calvary.
By God’s Word at last my sin I learned;
Then I trembled at the law I’d spurned,
Till my guilty soul imploring turned
To Calvary.
Now I’ve giv’n to Jesus everything,
Now I gladly own Him as my King,
Now my raptured soul can only sing
Of Calvary!
Oh, the love that drew salvation’s plan!
Oh, the grace that brought it down to man!
Oh, the mighty gulf that God did span
At Calvary!

Thank you, Jesus, for Calvary!

Hope On ~ Easter Awaits

Daffodils in Spring ~ my grandmother planted these

Exceeding sorrow filled their hearts,
They couldn’t bear to see Him part.

But although He was crucified,
It wasn’t the end of His life.

Though death separated three days,
  To His followers Christ would say,

‘Hope on, Easter awaits.’

Just as the disciples did after the crucifixion of Christ, have you ever faced times when you thought things were hopeless?  You’ve prayed.  You’ve held on, but things only seem to get worse.  Then, something else happens, causing your hope to crash into despair.

When Jesus died, His followers wrongly concluded that all was lost.  Their King was gone; their hopes dashed.  They couldn’t see the promise for the tears.  Anguish distorted their anticipation of resurrection.

The pain of hopelessness does that.  It shreds any possibility of victory.  Through the lies of the enemy, it brutally annihilates trust.

Yet, our Savior, after enduring cruel battering by His captors and dying a death undeserved, knew that death would not hinder His resurrection.  What seemed hopeless to the disciples was merely a lack of understanding on their part.

Resurrection was set in motion the moment Christ breathed His last.

We would do well to remember that.  Although the breakthroughs seem impossible, their fulfillment is only awaiting their ripe Easter morn.  Suddenly, what God has promised will burst on the scene.

The thing desired, born anew in God’s perfect timing.

Hope on, fellow believers.  Easter awaits.

****

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick: but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.”
Proverbs 13:12
NKJV

Words and photo by Sue Nash © 2014

To see my previous posts about Easter, follow the link.

Subtle Gospel Message Portrayed ~ Flowering Dogwoods

Dogwood Portrait

Drive or stroll past the woods in Mississippi during spring and you are sure to find flowering dogwood.  Although very lovely, like the trees on which they grow, their blossoms are comparatively timid.  Partial shade-loving, dogwoods grow best hidden under the shadows of their larger woodland companions.

The forested landscapes near my home are currently speckled with white dogwoods.  However, to get these close-up photos of the flowers, I needed a tree with low-lying branches.  Unfortunately, most of them were above my reach, but after diligent search, I found one that cooperated.

Dogwood Cross

Legend has it that the Romans used wood from dogwood to make the cross of Christ, but the story has no Scriptural support. However, the blooms lend themselves nicely to the tale and certainly have a hint of the Passion.

Consider the cross shape of the flowers with blood-like stains on their edges, their fluted striations resembling stripes and the wounded appearance of the petal ends.  It does make for convincing comparisons to the account of how Jesus died. 

Subtle Hints

The dogwood legend is likely just that.  However, blooming as they do around Easter, the flowers will always remind me of the cross.  Within them, there is a subtle hint of the Gospel message.

Subtle Gospel Message Portrayed

Hidden dogwood tree,
Boldly lower your branches.
Reveal your story;
For the lost, don’t take chances. 

Although just legend,
Golgotha’s wood was yours,
It’s worth repeating,
Since nobody knows for sure.

Revisit the tale
About your lovely flowers.
How cross-like they form
Amid gentle spring showers.

Blooms that hint of Christ;
His Passion, of which we’ve heard.
Petals bearing wounds,
Reminding what He endured.

So, tell it once more;
Dying onlookers to sway.
A portrait of Him;
Subtle gospel you portray.

****

“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.”
Isaiah 53:5

Dogwood B&W

Words and photos by Sue Nash/ © 2014

For similar posts, follow this link to Easter

For Every Calvary

Happy Easter to all as we celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord!
Sue

Good Friday Feature

Since this is Good Friday, I decided that it would be better to feature something related to the Cross.  Knowing I would face the decision of how best to handle today’s post, I began making mental notes whenever one of my fellow Christian bloggers posted something specifically about Christ’s suffering. This High Holy season for Christians just should not ever become routine and certainly never become buried under the trappings of bunnies and baskets. Knowing what Christ did on our behalf should always prompt us to pause from the ordinary to reflect upon His extraordinary sacrifice.

I have encountered so many talented, inspirational writers through blogging, so my decision about today’s feature was difficult. However, one person shone above the rest, for a couple of reasons. First, today’s featured author has a nice website with uplifting posts, but one recently about the Passion really grabbed my attention. In addition, this author is a person who has his own cross, which he must daily bear. Today’s Friday Feature focuses on an individual with an amazing testimony, and an even more incredible gift of using his personal cross as an avenue of blessing others. It is my honor to feature:

Unshakable Hope
by Bill

Though afflicted at an early age of a devastating and progressive illness (the details of which he describes on his blog), Bill has done what plenty others in similar circumstances did not: he chose to allow his horrendous trial on this earth to drive him to the Cross and not away. Rather than blaming God and running the other direction, he chose the high and very courageous road of seeing his circumstances from God’s perspective and in the process, found the unshakable hope for which his blog gets its name.

During the few months since I discovered Unshakable Hope, I have never heard Bill complain or express any bitterness over his circumstances. Instead, he pours into others through encouraging, thoughtful posts. Although I only know of Bill from his website, I am certain that he is very human and must have many weak moments in his faith, but one would never know of this from what he writes. His cross, though immense, he always uses to point to the One who understands and helps us bear our burdens. He always points them to The Cross.

I thank you Bill, for being an inspiration, and for using your struggle as an avenue of encouraging others. If you have not already discovered his site, I recommend you check him out. Without a doubt, you do not want to miss his recent post, It is Finished, in which he uses dynamic photos to accompany a poem about the Crucifixion, and his About Bill page for his touching testimony. You can also follow the link above to this awesome site!

Written as this author’s opinion.
Sue Nash

The Lovely Cross?

Some of them are worn as earrings,
some dangled on chains about the neck.
Most call crosses beautiful,
But that depends on Who you ask.

Used to decorate our T-shirts,
Displayed on colored window glass.
Yet, for Christ, the Cross meant pain and death,
If not for us, He would’ve passed.

He died but once; that’s all it took,
Redeeming love, our souls to win.
But if not so, and it took more,
He’d surely do it all again.

The Cross, to us, will always be
A sweet reminder of Christ’s love.
Although for Him, it was not pretty,
He endured it all, for joy above.

“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 has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Hebrews 12:2
NKJV

Love Hurt

“Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.”

Isaiah 53:4, 5