In Like A Lamb And A Lion (poem)

Note: This is a piece I have pulled out of the archives. I thought it might be fun to post this during this week as a way to celebrate both National Poetry Month (which is in April) and Holy Week. I will plan to do poetry readings videos for the rest of week, if anyone's interested (These are specifically available for my family and friends on Facebook.) (I'll still do them to amuse myself even if no one's interested- lol. :-)) (
The text of the poem and my original introduction (slightly updated) is below. Enjoy! Happy Easter!
In honour of Holy Week and The Lord Jesus, I also wanted to read poems reflecting on the sacrifice Jesus made for all of us when He died and rose to pay for all sins for all time. We can have forgiveness of sins and salvation from the hell we deserve and entry into the Heaven we don't deserve all through our faith in the love God has for us and the salvation He has provided through Christ! (Romans 10:9-13)
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This is an original writing I did in 2012. This one certainly ties in with the theme overall of Marching to Zion (the theme of the blog post I originally posted this in years ago) , as it’s very fitting in March, though it’s true any time of the year. This is an original poem I wrote "the other day" (when I write a lot of things- lol) that I’d had the idea to do for quite a while, but it finally came together just recently. It’s based on a familiar phrase you may have heard before- “March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.” So here’s an ode to the march of One who is called both Lion and Lamb.

“In Like a Lamb and a Lion”
(poem copyright by Nathan Ludwick 3/27/2012)
(Song of Solomon 2:1, Isaiah 53, Revelation 5:5, Revelation 7:9-10, Revelation 12:11, John 1:29)

An icy death grip keeps us frozen in a winter wasteland
The old clouds blast forth with a cold and derisive snort
Chilled to the bone, we lay our bone-tired bones to rest
With an icy stare, the sky glares on us with snowfall but no sun
We silently wait and pray with one last ebb of hope for spring to come
And after a twenty day march, one small ray leads the charge
Then with a roar, spring comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.
As the vernal equinox melts the frost, so too another spring has sprung of trust.
The precious rose that the Heavens entrusted to Earth has come.
It bears the crown of thorns like spring’s lamb bears the horns.
The rose was crushed to break the curse of winter’s eternal infernal solstice.
The lamb’s wool was shorn to make clothes for the naked daughters and sons.
On second bloom, Sharon’s Rose breathes life anew.
So too the slaughtered Lamb roars to life again.
Spring has come to end the winter of our discontent and despair
Spring comes in like a lamb and goes out the same
Spring comes back in like a lion, holding forever safe those in Judah’s mane.

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That said, alright already- I relinquish the pen. (Well, you know- keyboard- but I thought “pen” sounded more poetic.) Anyway, in this myriad of musings on The Master of All That Effuses, may it be less confusing and eluding, and more amusing, bemusing and colluding into (E-)lucidating. May He that illumined this illuminate me. And all of us- keep walking in Heavenly S(o)unlight each day. Do right and hold on- Jesus is coming and will set all things right one day. In the mean time, keep holding on to Him no matter what. God bless. :-)

Wash Out

Exodus 40:29-38

 29 And he set the altar of burnt offering at the entrance of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, and offered on it the burnt offering and the grain offering, as the LORD had commanded Moses. 30 He set the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it for washing, 31 with which Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet. 32 When they went into the tent of meeting, and when they approached the altar, they washed, as the LORD commanded Moses. 33 And he erected the court around the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the screen of the gate of the court. So Moses finished the work.

The Glory of the Lord
34 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. 35 And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. 36 Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out. 37 But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out till the day that it was taken up. 38 For the cloud of the LORD was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys."

- I just read Exodus 40 tonight and finished the book in my daily Bible reading and prayer time with God. This is one of those chapters that some might consider "boring" because it goes into so much detail about the layout of the Tabernacle. (Spoiler alert- the last few chapters of Exodus detail A LOT of information about measurements and sewing and construction and all that was involved in setting up the Tabernacle or Tent of Meeting. Mathematicians and scientists and architects and artisans of the fashion variety might particularly enjoy these chapters. :-))
    It might seem overkill at times (but just wait- Leviticus is up next! :-))- but that's really the point. As I was thinking about the precautions I'm trying to take regarding washing and cleaning upon entering my home in regards to the current virus pandemic, the Holy Spirit brought to mind the comparisons here.
Think of all the rituals Aaron and Moses and the priests went through to dare enter into The Lord's holy presence! There is a much more insidious disease to deal with besides a virus that can only kill the physical body. We are stricken with the disease of sin that kills the eternal soul!
    As we draw closer to Easter, I find it appropriate that I'm reading the Pentateuch in The Bible and being reminded of all the things the Israelites were bound to doing just so that their sins might be covered by the scapegoat. I am thankful that on the other side of the Testaments, in the A.D. era, we have the Lamb of God who was sacrificed on our behalf to take away the sins of the world! The overkill of the Old Testament system of sacrifices is over because the final Passover Lamb was killed for you and me! And thank You, Lord Jesus, that You not only were killed and buried- You were also risen by God The Father. (Romans 10:9) To quote "Godspell", "Long live God!"- eternally long! And because He has risen and lives again, we can also- if we let Him take our sins away and put our faith in the Lamb's completed work. To quote another song-  "Are you washed in the soul-cleansing blood of The Lamb?"

Isaiah 1:18- Though our sins be like scarlet, The Lord can wash them whiter than snow. :-)

An Innocent Lamb (song)

I have been wanting to post some of my various creative writings on this blog as well and this will be the start of it. I may eventually do some of those "throwback" days everybody seems to like to do that (or Lateral Lunar Calendar, if you prefer) and post some older material, just to have items organized individually. We'll see. For now, this will be the start. (I have a few others that I feel are appropriate for Easter that I will post as time progresses- including two others that I am considering sort of an Easter suite of sorts.)
       I particularly wanted to post this song since I just heard a sermon at an evening church service tonight about the very incident this song relays. It's a conversation between two men who definitely were not innocent as one explains to the other about the only One who can truly be called an innocent Man. And thankfully, because He has fulfilled all righteousness, we can have His innocence and righteousness imputed to us when we put our faith in Him. :-)

"An Innocent Lamb"
(parody of "An Innocent Man" by Billy Joel)
(parody copyright by Nathan Ludwick 2/6/2014)
(Luke 23:26-43, Isaiah 53, Psalms 16, Psalms 22, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Romans 5:8)

Some people stay far away from The Law
So there's no chance of them breaking it
Like (The) Beagle Boys they're just all blind guides
And hope that no one sees their stripes

Some people live with no fear of our God
They're an angry heathen prodigal
They will not listen to anyone
'Til nothing is left but their pride

I know you're only protecting yourself
I know you're thinking of nobody else
Come on, I hurt too
'Cause I'm on a cross
Paying up for my wrongs
You've been denying by your own appeal
That God above can do anything
So restore your faith in This Man
Some Pharisees threw insults at Him bold
Teachers, the elders, chief priests looking smug
They're only villains just like you and I

Because we are all in our sins, man
We are all in our sins, man
Oh, yes we are

Some people say they will only believe
The Son of God if He gets off the cross
But what they don't see- prophecy foretells
They heard somebody tell them before
Psalms 16 reads that God won't leave Christ
Instead, He'll raise Him back up from the dead
Psalms 22 says folks will tease and hate
Like what you said to The Lord

I know you don't want to hear what I say
I hope you don't keep turning away
Christ is pinned there and since He'll be revived
He can bring us back to life
When it is done God is through with our sins
'Cause God's own Son's beaten wounds heal us all
Pierced and bruised so we don't have to burn, man

Have fear for God- we're on a cross like Christ
The only difference is that He never sinned
And you know that we stand rightly accused
King of The Jews is an innocent Man
He is an innocent Man
Oh, yes He is
The innocent Lamb

You know you only cut yourself off from Christ
I guess you'd rather be a hater defiant
That's your decision
But I will not blow
Jesus' offer, you know
Our faith- it grants a resurrection from God
So Lord Jesus, I know I'm bad- here's my heart
Think of me when Your kingdom comes in

Well, He's my Hope- He's my miracle cure
And Jesus said today we'll be in Paradise
'Cause He was willing to lay down His life
Although Christ is an Innocent Man

Christ will be risen again
And then I'll live
In Heaven with Him!
Ohh!

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