Of Glorious Winter-tide

This week its the snow!!!

The other week the ice left us speechless with awe!!

Now is the time of cheer

Of cozy countryside

Tucked beneath white starlight veneer

Or the veil of a bride

Now is the time to pause

From plant and harvest toil

While earth receives the wild applause

Of gales and sparkle-spoil

Of snowflakes swirling round

In dizzying descent

Until the land is grandly crowned

With frosty filament

Now is the time to ling-

-ger longer in a book

And let the days of winter bring

The days summer forsook

Of bowers bent with leaf

Of flower-befringed walks

Of glad tidings of golden sheaf

Of rose and hollyhocks

Of looking back to where

We find ourselves today

Before we turn agape to stare

At worlds melted away

Where now is the sweet time

To slow our hasting stride

And revel in the crystal clime

Of glorious winter-tide

...as we combat the cold

That keens our appetite

With supper hour dipped in gold 

Of gentle candle-light 

   

© Janet Martin

A Love-ly Light

Matt.5:16

Let your light so shine before men,

 that they may see your good works, 

and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Don't you love

the light of love

in loved one's eyes?

Esp. children!!

don't you love the way they shine

with love without disguise?

and don't you hope and pray that we,

God's precious girl and boy

look at our Daddy lovingly

then shine and shine with joy?!!

Love does not scorn its charge

Nor loathe its perfect law

But lets the grace of God enlarge

Faith’s diligence with awe

Love, the Light of the world

Has pierced sin’s darkness through

It is God’s evidence unfurled

To shine in me and you

…to glorify the Name

Of He who came to save

And live God’s goodness to proclaim

For the gift His love gave

It is impossible

To confess ‘Christ in me’

Without love’s candle visible

For all the world to see

Then pray the Lord to keep

Our love from growing dim

Lest unawares, we fall asleep

And cease to shine for Him

Lord, let our light so shine

So that all men may see

The evidence of love divine

Bringing glory to Thee

Oh, what a lovely Light

The love of God instills

Where until faith is turned to sight

His glory spills and spills

 

© Janet Martin

This is one of the songs the choir hoped to sing at our church on Christmas Eve.

Though we were disappointed to cancel the service

NOTHING can cancel the true believer's joy and or the Light of the World!

Sing Hallelujah!!

Light of the World

Winsome Woo

The magnitude of the snow-majesty we are enjoying is impossible

to capture with a camera-lens!

It rouses within a winsome woo words cannot capture quite...

Now woos a winsome sense of blues. Of golds and grays and greens

Impressionistic avenues woven through wafting scenes

Of unfurled hues of joy and strife’s herculean highs and lows

Where morn to eventide rolls rife with all that life bestows

And season-song cuts like a knife where so-long ebbs and flows

The catalyst to letting go can shield us from the sum

Of touch and taste and holding’s holy showdowns yet to come

Where youth soon dons truth’s tinges; it is futile to rebel

Where summer’s flashy fringes deck the halls of autumn’s knell

Where hello always hinges to the framework of farewell

Because beginnings always end and ‘end’ always begins

Now woos a winsome sense of friendship through what always thins

To Old Year almost over where the New Year waits to spill

Both knee-deep dell of clover and steep, courage-honing hill

New worlds yet to discover and blank pages yet to fill

Now woos within the stark, dark imminence of vast unknowns

A sense of golds and blues that mark the ‘Thence’ of Steppingstones

That ultimately lead toward That Single Certainty

Of face-to-face with Christ the Lord and of eternity

Thus, therefore, no one can afford to ignore what will be

Where we are lavished with what slips through fingertips with ease

To leave behind the winsome fellowship of memories

Where heartstrings bind the ties of love, of hope and hunger too

Around impressions of a glove filled with the winsome woo

Of what is never quite enough of love’s green-gold-gray-blue

© Janet Martin

Let Joy Ring Through the World

I hope you all had a wonderful day...

Here it felt like it went from morning

... to night in no time at all!!

Let joy ring through the world

The light of life is born

The One the prophets long foretold

Has put on human form

The hope of nations cries

A Babe in manger bed

Unveils God’s face before man’s eyes

As God and man are wed

The heights of Heaven bend

To dredge the depths of death

A gift man cannot comprehend

Has drawn salvation’s breath

Then praise the Name of He

Who saves us from our sins

So death/hell does not seize victory

When End of Days begins

Let worship’s song resound

As we rejoice and pray

Glad tidings of great joy abound

Even unto this day

Then bow with heart undone

Before our God of grace

Because He gave His only Son

To die in our place

...and make God's glory/love's story known

That angels still applaud

The King of kings stepped from His throne

To be the Lamb of God

© Janet Martin

Hallelujah, though colorful cookies are a nice, sweet

celebration treat

Christmas is SO much more!

It is the celebration of mankind's hope 

we tell to our children so they may tell their children!

My Christmas Prayer

From our house to yours-Merry Christmas!

The plan was to be part of a choir at church tonight at

 our Christmas Eve celebration

Celebration/worship is still happening at home, but not the choir!

Everyone is storm-stayed far and wide due to the 'crippling blizzard'!

Still

May we rejoice as we reflect on the Reason for the season,

and the Reason for the believer's joy!

This poem was also going to be shared tonight at the Christmas Eve service

I share it with all of you now, my prayer for us all,

 as we celebrate our Saviour's birth!  

My prayer for every one of us, for each day that we live

Is that we taste the joy of Jesus, only He can give

The glad tidings of joy angels proclaimed, in days of old

I pray, just as the shepherds did, we hasten to behold

And though we do not kneel, as they, that night at Bethlehem

I pray, that daily we rehearse the day we look on Him

And that the joy of living hope is like a Light unfurled

Because by faith we have beheld the Saviour of the world

I pray the joy of Jesus melts each shadow of a doubt

As we receive the Reason that Christmas is all about

Then, come what may, I pray that nothing in this world can dim

Joy’s Star, as we, like the Wisemen have come to worship Him

© Janet Martin

From me to all of you who faithfully drop by my 'poem-porch',

wishes for a blessed Christmas to you and yours!

Luke 2:1-20

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.

2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

Snowbound!

We are in the thick of a blizzard! 

Stay safe and warm!

Now is the hour of reprieve

When every sprig becomes a sheave

Bent with a brumal burst of stars

When featherdown bedecks earth’s bars

As each snow-swaddled house and yard

Composes a vintage post-card

And every home becomes more sweet

When gales go howling down the street

And happiness is safe and sound

When we are cozy and snowbound

When window-frames are works of art

That only winter can impart

When mugs of steaming luxury

Are like hugs of coffee and tea

When nothing presses to be toiled

When we are awe and wonder spoiled

As nature brushes slopes awry

And swirls the scope of land and sky

With wild beauty, while tempests hound

And rile plans with two words; snowbound

Now books are like frigates unfurled

From fireside nooks, across the world

Because, ink snared in verbal font

Can take us anywhere we want

Like travelers who need no fare

To reserve a room or a chair

Clad in comfy flannel and fleece

As we are filled with joy and peace

While wild winds wail, pummel and pound

The storm-tossed seas we sail; snowbound

Soup pots simmer with five-star meals

Thankfulness bows our heads and feels

A hymn no words can capture, quite

As worlds are blurred with white on white

As we pray for the brave who bear

The elements, for creature care

While we are safe and sound and glad

For woodpiles heaped, feet slipper-clad

While winter wonderlands confound

We who are home-sweet-home-snowbound

Now is the hour of content

How swift the gift of came-and-went

Of so-it-goes, this-too-shall-pass

While we peer through snow-swaddled glass

To watch the birds and then recall

‘God sees the little sparrow fall’

Then to let smiles and laughter cheer

The solace of sweet home so dear

While we are snug and safe and sound

In hours of reprieve, snowbound

© Janet Martin

The First Christmas Morn

Here-Hope, Joy and Peace

This morning I received a card and letter from my cousin's family,

(Wayne and Sherri) who have been going through a deep and ongoing 

valley of trial for many years. (Wayne has MS, diagnosed after an accident

leading to the loss of his leg in 2012)

He is a dad of four children.

 He is now 49 years old.

The letter is a profound picture of refined faith and constant surrender

as they adapt to life with their dearly beloved

husband and dad in a long-term care facility,

and the heart-wrenching hurdles of love!!

Sherri closes the letter with words that bravely allow us

 a glimpse into a world of broken dreams

held fast by resolution for continued trust...

Below's excerpt shared with permission from Sherri💝🙏

As I pondered the words we use so freely, especially at Christmas;

words like hope, joy and peace I was impacted by how, without the weathered landscape of 

hardship those words would hold no special meaning.

How life's disappointments, sorrows and storms make sacred and dear

these precious words possible by the grace of God; Hope, joy and peace!

Wayne and Sherri's family has taken up permanent residence in my prayers for 

strength for their days and a sense of Immanuel in their lives!

...as this poem was penned  I couldn't help but cry as she shared 

a peek into their world with these words...

'I tell you these things not to gain attention or pity for myself,

but to give you a glimpse into our everyday life'.

She also shared utter gratefulness for God's faithful provision

through His followers and so many people who help!!

How hopeless our 'everyday life' would often be

without the comfort and counsel of God's word

and the company and friendships of his family here on earth!

***

Here oft joy bears bitter splendor ‘neath the weight of sorrow’s cross

Here oft hope groans with surrender on the testing grounds of loss

Here oft perfect peace is baffled by the brokenness we see

In the valley of the shadow of death’s sacred certainty

Here the devil would defeat us as we press toward The Prize

But for God’s Word; here He meets us to attend to longing’s cries

Here He reaches through the darkness with an Everlasting Light

Softens the heart’s would-be hardness with fresh courage for the fight

Here the fainting soul is strengthened as we feast on Living Bread

Here His outstretched arm is lengthened as His precious child is fed

Here His awesome power surges, chides man’s motives, prone to pride

Promise after promise purges pleas where need and want confide

Here He shows us how to follow when the way we cannot see

How to nestle in the hollow of hands scarred at Calvary

Here He lifts us from the mire of fear, dread, doubt and despair

Here He purifies desires that would hinder our prayer

Here the hope of nations rallies soldiers of the cross of Christ 

Here He guides us through the valleys where idols are sacrificed 

Here, while the world frowns and borrows trouble with unceasing noise

Here His whisper crowns our sorrows with hope's everlasting joys    

Here faith’s flick’ring candle steadies, here spent spirits are renewed

Here life’s gracious Giver readies us with awe-struck gratitude

Where joy, hope and peace must weather what yet waits, Trust humbly hails

God’s goodness; His mercy tethers us to love that never fails

© Janet Martin

...with a mighty hand and outstretched arm; 

His love endures forever.

Psalm 136:12

As we are drawn to the wonder of manger 

may we simultaneously be drawn to the triumph at the cross!

Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross

Near to the Heart of God

Miracle-worker

As I prayed about the various uncertainties that life runs rife with

no matter who or where we are, my prayer became a plea

for God to work a miracle of steadfast trust/faith in me.

Many today are hoping for a weather-miracle!!

This morning's weather headlines are no joke,

and we should pay attention!

God's Word is full of warnings too

and we should pay attention!

It is hard to hear Him, isn't it,

without the comfort and caution of His Word in our hearts

to guide, cheer and equip us for the fight of faith!

May the miracle of trust in God's unfailing promises

transform our outlook and attitude!

In all things giving thanks with awed sincerity

Where the framework of circumstance is but the part we see

Oh, pray that in the Must of dust-to-dust’s ado

That God would work a miracle of trust in me and you

With vision undeterred, not to be ruled by fear

But through the power of His Word, to feel God’s presence near

Then, with hope’s strength renewed, oh pray for the increase

Of miracles of gratitude to instill joy and peace

© Janet Martin

2 Cor.4:18

...while we do not look at the things which are seen,

 but at the things which are not seen. 

For the things which are seen are temporary, 

but the things which are not seen are eternal.

O, come All Ye Faithful-Don Williams