Adoration Anthem

O holy night what sacred hope Love’s sympathy allowed

Come to redeem with His own blood a lost, unholy crowd

Where sacrifice of bulls and rams would never satisfy

And none amongst the Shepherd’s lambs could ever justify

O Lamb of God who knew no sin left heaven to become

The pure and perfect offering for He was God’s own Son

And though the Father knew the awful price that He would pay

He saw, after death’s sacrifice glad Resurrection Day

...there His wrath was appeased; love looked beyond the suffering

He beheld the accomplishment of life that death would bring

Of many sons and daughters to glory, victorious

Because the blood of Jesus cleanses from unrighteousness

O holy dread, where Bethlehem welcomed Calvary’s Lamb

O manger-bed thy diadem was Yaweh’s Son, I AM

O come then, one and all, where once for all Life dashed death’s sting

Salvation’s pioneer perfected through His suffering

Then let hearts leap for joy and love be bowed with tenderness

Let we who this true hope employ be filled with happiness 

And let us reason together of grace whereby we go

For though our sins were scarlet now we are washed white as snow

O holy night, what sacred joy love’s sympathy allowed

On earth Peace and goodwill to man, prone to be vile and proud

And when this life is over, death has no dominion then

If we believe we will receive eternal life. Amen

© Janet Martin

 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, 

now crowned with glory and honor because He suffered death, 

so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.  

In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting for God, 

for whom and through whom all things exist, 

to make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering.  

For both the One who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are of the same family. 

So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers. 

Heb.2:9-11

Lift Your Heart To Heaven

 When we feel falsely accused, when we feel misused, abused,

we should lift our hurt to Heaven

because He was hurt too, by and for us!

"A new command I give you: Love one another. 

As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
By this all men will know that you are My disciples, 

if you love one another.”

John 13:34-35

Lift your heart of hurt to heaven

Child of He who loves us so

Praise Him for our sins forgiven

Trust for what we do not know

Let go of resentment’s treason

Turn the other cheek and pray

Do not heed revenge’s reason

Ask Jesus to lead the way

Ask Him to help you be meeker

Than the one who hurt you so

Not to be a vengeance-seeker

Or to return blow for blow

Jesus bore false accusation

But He answered not a word

Lift your heart of hurt to Heaven

Let love heal what hatred stirred

Let love suffer long, my precious

Forgiveness heals evil’s ills

Let love counter words malicious

With the love Jesus instills

Lift your heart of hurt to Heaven

All we suffer, so did He

Praise Him for our sins forgiven

And thank Him for Calvary

© Janet Martin

The Hope Of Man

 Sometimes when discouragement's condemnation threatens to deaden hope,

Sometimes when I say yep when oh, I should have answered 'nope'

Sometimes when I believe the lies of hope's vile enemy

I bow my head and lift my eyes...to Calvary

...to hear once more from days of yore the final declaration

Of "it is finished" as He bore and conquered death's damnation

and nothing and no one can alter Mercy's saving grace

Through Jesus Christ God's only Son whose love/life took our/death's place

The ways of man since Time began

Are not hard to predict

First Eve believed and was deceived

By folly’s rhetoric

Where we in turn must also learn

How disobedience

When we are wise in our own eyes

Yields bitter recompense/consequence

Aha, aha, the Time-tried law

Of lust and pride confirms

How without love our motives prove

We are all filthy worms

And without grace, ah, who could face

Death’s cold and morbid dread

The blood of Christ, love’s sacrifice

For sinner’s ransom shed

 Love’s Master plan, the hope of man

The hope of man assured

Through merit of a Saviour’s love

Upon a cross secured

Love’s uttermost becomes the boast

As Belief rends the tomb

Where ways of man since Time began

Would else lead to hell’s doom

© Janet Martin

Knowing Full-well...(what makes worthy the earthy)

This is a case where the previous poem fired another...

 Reading Hebrews 12, verse one, led to reading Hebrews 12 verse two, 

which led to writing this poem...(based on Phil.2)

(I guess tomato-picking is one poem later than I thought it would be😏)

Pondering The Promise of Eternal Life 

and He who authored it, and how, 

Sure does make worthy, earthly strife

and sure does make Holy the Now!

(Knowing full-well Hell's triumph but for death upon a cross!)

The Author and the Finisher of faith endured the cross

Thus, all we bear of this world’s care…He wore its sorrow too

In very nature, God, He donned a robe of mortal cloth

Knowing full well the horrors of the vale He would pass through

Knowing full-well the pain and rejection that He must bear

Knowing full-well, hell would prevail without His sacrifice

Knowing full-well His Deity, yet left Heaven to wear

A crown of thorns, a cross, knowing full-well sin’s awful price

Knowing full-well through death Life Everlasting would be bought

Knowing full-well how many would be saved and justified

Knowing full-well the agony before Triumph is wrought

Knowing full-well the wrath of God would-must be satisfied

Knowing full-well sin’s debt could not be paid by bull-ram’s blood

Knowing full-well his Father’s will and all it would entail

Knowing full well, He, King of kings would be the Lamb of God

Knowing full-well that once for all His Death would rend the veil

Knowing full-well that Final Sacrifice for sin was made

And living sacrifice will be the price believers pay

Knowing full-well that through His love our debt of guilt is paid

Knowing full well the full reward in Heaven some sweet day

© Janet Martin

Tear-worthy

 My sister Marlene and I were talking about how hard it is to read Easter-themed pieces without tears!

(and that makes it hard to volunteer to read at an Easter Service:)

But, we concluded, they are worthy tears...

Jesus shed tears for us.

Oh, pray we shed tears for Him!

(a few more favorite Easter Songs)

Tears...

Stirred by the wounds You wore, my Lord and bore on my behalf

Because I was part of the crowd; Loud, proud, I jeered-leered-laughed

While You in gruesome horror hung in grueling agony

‘Til the last breath of life was wrung from You, my Lord, for me

You groaned beneath the thorny crown pressed hard upon Your head

Where death’s deliverance poured down until the ground was red

…and though I’ve wept, “Lord, I belief, now help my unbelief”

And though I love you, oh my Lord, of sinners I am chief

…for oft-times I’m still such a jerk and blind, as blind can be

More dedicated to my work and play, my Lord, than Thee

And then I weep, Jesus, I weep ; You knew the full extent

Of promises I would not keep, still, to the cross You went

And staggered up the skull-strewn slope beneath the awful weight

Not of the wooden cross-hewn Hope, but of ignorant hate

“Forgive them for they do not know” oh Lord, my Lord, You cried

As we slammed nails into your hands and spears into your side

And though wrongly accused, My Lord you answered not a word

But naked, torn and bruised You bore the sins of the whole world

...stirred by the scars You wear my Lord, because of Calvary

Where now Heaven is my reward through what You did for me

...so then I weep; without You I’m unworthy to the core

..But, because of You someday I will live forevermore

© Janet Martin