Month: October 2024

Don’t feel at home

~ rhiannon ~ Leave a comment

I do not feel ‘at home’ here
an ‘alien’ now exiled,
for evil things are done here
and everything’s defiled.
There’s double-talk, hypocrisy
there’s greed, pressures, deceit
there’s malice and abundancy
of glamour that will cheat.

Our home is where we’re going
where bad things are no more.
For through His Word we’re knowing
the glory that’s in store
not that we are deserving
of such a place of love
by grace He is reserving
this home beyond the grave.

In turning and receiving
forgiveness through Christ’s blood,
repentant, for sin grieving,
He’s given us love of good.
Our hearts He is preparing
to fit in such a home,
our thoughts and will repairing,
we long for when He’ll come!

Tune: 76 76 76 76 eg Aurelia by S Wesley, tune of ‘The church’s one foundation’

Walking with the Lord

~ rhiannon ~ Leave a comment

So much to distract and dilute
our walk with the Lord every day.
Remember, give thought to your root –
our love flows from His – His display
of constant unmerited love
can teach us to value and care
for others, approachable, give
yourself, and your own troubles share.

And pray for each other as Paul
prayed for those who had come to true faith,
and boldly with reverence call
to the Father who’s given us life:
for riches of daily support
and spiritual strengthening pray
to help all the saints he has bought
show Jesus, the Saviour each day.

Unsearchable love we now know
in part. Meditate on it, grow
more like Him, and so like-love show:
The love you receive will outflow.
More able than we can imagine
to help by His wonderful power:
be praise to our Saviour in heaven
and also on earth ever more!

cf Paul’s letter to the Ephesians 3: 14-21 and to the Philippians 1:27-2:16
Tune: 88 88 88 88 anapaestic (with initial unstressed syllable per line!) eg Covenant Blessing by T Chapman, tune of ‘A debtor to mercy alone’)

Jonah needed hard providences!

~ rhiannon ~ Leave a comment

God didn’t leave Jonah in folly:
his fleeing and folly were stopped
by the storm and the waves, then God kindly
provided a fish and it gulped,
and swallowed, enclosing the prophet,
saved to stop and consider his ways:
near death in the sea brought him profit
– when released from the fish, he obeys.

The Ninevites repented and turned,
when warned that their violence and sin
would soon bring destruction they’d earned,
hoped God would relent and not bring
that judgment, and such proved the case
but Jonah was angry and selfish
not wanting that they receive grace:
forgot what he’d learnt in the fish.

He watched, still expecting their end
and God gave a plant to give shade,
but later a worm, and hot wind
– these people by God too were made
and Jonah should gladly show pity
not just that his shelter be spared,
but for this repentant vast city
who’d heeded the message they’d heard.