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Thursday, April 5, 2012

Easter/Hope Sonnet




Come; lay your sin-stained burden at His feet
Oh, do not try to carry it alone
He bids us come to heaven’s mercy-seat
Forgiveness pours in oceans from His throne
The way of man is doomed to fear and need
The vile deceiver taunts with poisoned fruit
Brushing his vulgar lies against our greed
Desiring to draw us from Saving Truth
But hark, what rings across earth’s weary field?
“Come;” it is by His stripes that we are healed

When will this endless war and fighting cease?
When will we lay down hate and embrace love?
Oh, look upon love's glorious Prince of Peace
Did He not leave His holy throne above?
To suffer in the place of wretched men
And give His life for all humanity
A ransom for our awful debt of sin
He died; a perfect Lamb, to set us free
How long will we resist Hope's grand appeal?
Come; it is by His stripes that we are healed

The wages of our sinful lust is death
The gift of God is everlasting life
He sealed redemption's plan with His last breath
As ‘it is finished’ lifts us from this strife
Dare we to scoff at such a work as this?
Or break his heart and turn away our eyes?
Dare we to face Him then without His gift
And thus reject eternal paradise?
The day of grace is now; oh will we yield?
Come; it is by His stripes that we are healed

© Janet Martin

Inspired as I listened to Alas, and did My Savior bleed (link in previous post)


3 He was despised and rejected by mankind,
   a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
   he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.
 4 Surely he took up our pain
   and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
   stricken by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
   he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
   and by his wounds we are healed.  Isa. 53:3-5

For the wages of sin is death,
but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23


2 comments:

  1. Forgiveness pours in oceans from His throne


    So very beautiful, Janet. This is a perfect poem for Easter. Such a blessing! <3

    ReplyDelete
  2. Such a blessing- His grace for our guilt!

    Blessings to you and yours, Hannah.

    ReplyDelete

I hope you enjoyed your pause on this porch and thank-you for your visit!