Evening Vesper

It tips against the evening sky

The edge of Time and all its girth

A crimson-tinted lullaby

In breathless nuance bathes the earth

The progress of man’s centuries

Lies mute ‘neath Eden’s unmarred dome

As Heaven spills its mysteries

In foreshadows of things to come

Man cannot blemish heaven’s floor

The thief of hours cannot steal

The brush from He who holds the Door

Through which vague shades of glory peal

It fingers twilight’s solitude

In pure and unrestrained caress

A timeless masterpiece renewed

In sundry tones of awesomeness

The sheaves of harvest deck the sod

As just and unjust taste its fare

The wondrous handiwork of God

Spills freely on the evening air

Unto its breadth we lift our eyes

A glorious and gilded scrim

Twixt toil and tears and Paradise

We behold whispers of Him

© Janet Martin

The heavens declare the glory of God;
    the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
    night after night they reveal knowledge.  
 They have no speech, they use no words;
    no sound is heard from them.
Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
    their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
    It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
    like a champion rejoicing to run his course. 
 It rises at one end of the heavens
    and makes its circuit to the other;
    nothing is deprived of its warmth.

Psalms 19:1-6
 

A Request

His mercy is new every morning....

Throughout this day Lord, help us say

Only kind and gentle things

May our hearts trust You, Oh God

As we face what this new day brings

And if the eventide should splay

Once more across the land and sea

And the wee hours we call today

Deepen and fold to history

May we have served with willing hands

And offered You a servant’s heart

Then as the twilight sweeps earth’s sands

Oh, may we know we did our part

© Janet Martin

Dance to the Music

Dance to the music God gives you

A montage of moments is brief

Soon its lay will drift away

A whisper on autumn’s leaf

List’ to the melody playing

And do not ignore its worth

Tomorrow’s sorrows are waiting

To strip the lip of its mirth

The music of this life is fleeting

We see not the end of its song

But we hear drums repeating

Eternity is long

…is long…is long…is long…

© Janet Martin



Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth. Psalms 96: 1

Pilot Me...a Morning Prayer

Before I step upon the runway

Of the day that lies ahead

Before my footsteps touch the tarmac

Of life’s little hope’s and dread

Father Captain, keep this vessel

I would drift if not for Thee

Keep me in the way of truth and love

Oh Jesus, Savior pilot me

Raise my eyes above life’s worries

Carry me on wings of trust

This is but a tiny journey

Soon our labor-pains of dust

Will pass and we will be delivered

From life’s storms and fickle fray

Jesus Savior, guide this vessel

Lest I drift and lose my way

Keep my eyes upon the gleaming

Of One true and faithful Light

Shield me from vague imitations

Teach me what is true and right

Now, as I touch down on the tarmac

Of this day and what will be

Father Captain, lead this vessel

Jesus, Savior pilot me

© Janet Martin

The Lord's Prayer Words

(traditional)

Our Father, which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come.
Thy will be done in earth,
As it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive them that trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,

The power, and the glory,

For ever and ever.

Amen.

Untraceable

You leave no trace or footprint

No bloom is crushed in your wake

But I know you are here; I can feel it, my dear

In every breath I take

The dew-gilded dawn remains flawless

Its pristine slope bears no mark

But I feel near as you come to me, dear

Out of the thinning dark

Where do you come from and how, love?

Do you tiptoe, fly or leap?

I know you are here, for your whisper, my dear

Draws me from out of my sleep

But you leave no trace or footprint

Oh beautiful memory

I hold you my dear, in a smile and a tear

As softly you come to me

If you could see into my heart, love

Where memories wander and such

Then it would be clear, there is no spot, my dear

That your memory does not touch

© Janet Martin~

Simply... People

Some wear threads of satin and silk

While some wear plain, meager cloth

Some sip fine wine while others gulp milk

But God is the God of both

Some speak with cultured refinement

Some say ‘you is’ and y’all

But I’ve come to the conclusion

We’re simply people; that’s all

Some strut across earth’s grand stages

While others cheer, shout and applaud

Some serve in deep, hidden places

Where nobody sees…but God

Some hunt for food in the jungle

While others feast every day

With people serving people

It’s always been this way

God made both servant and master

Rich, poor and in-between

He does not love one o’er another

And none are misplaced or unseen

Then, when this little life is over

We all pass through one common door

So we ought always to love one another

For we are simply people; nothing more

© Janet Martin

 There is neither Jew nor Greek, 

slave nor free, 

male nor female, 

for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Gal. 3:28

Midnight Marauder

Mystical midnight marauder

Creature of gossamer sway

You pluck from the sheaf of your nebulous robe

The morrow and make it today

While in this synchronized moment

Today slips into the dark

Donning yesterday’s garment

Yet snuffed like a drifting spark

Mystical midnight marauder

You never reverse your take

By replacing today with yesterday

So perhaps we could evade a mistake

Simultaneous taking and giving

Are rendered in a half-breath wink

Oh, mystical midnight marauder

You come and you leave in a blink

Tonight I stood at the window

Determined to glimpse a wee trace

Of this footloose and free-faring stranger

Of morrows and lost yesterdays

But try as I might to espy her

All that my strained eyes could see

Was the hint of somebody’s laughter

Tossing the willow tree

© Janet Martin

Reminded...

Profusion of temporal blessing

From courtyards of indifference swell

But still, the night-breeze is caressing

The wild-flower that nods in the dell

And the bud, it blooms then withers

To plant spring’s rebirth in the sod

Where feet run hither and thither

Mindless of our subjection to God

Not one sheaf has mortal hand gathered

That grew by endowment of man

No cursing nor blessing nor flattery

Can coax from the sky sun or rain

The boasts of our gracious existence

Must ever and always be

To the power and glory of He who abides

In spite of our laxity

God, deliver us from the temptation

To pine for what we cannot see

Lest we fuel holy indignation

In our blind and covetous plea

Cricket-song fills the dark valley

Mercy fills clay pots and bowls

And eternal blessing fills the universe

With hope for our undying souls

© Janet Martin  

I included the bottom photo because it is that book that is re-reminding me how to live thankfully right where I am. Thank-you Ann.