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. :-)

The God of All Seasons (poem)

With the weather finally seeming to recently move into spring and/or summer weather (as it tends to go where I am) ;-), this seemed like an appropriate time to post this. This is a poem I wrote a little while back in an attempt to kind of turn on its head the common theme I tend to see in poetry and songs celebrating spring and/or summer as a reminder of God's love. (Not that those works are bad and not those seasons aren't, of course. I think everything is a reminder of God's love-even that which would be its antithesis only serves to remind us of how much we need God and His love.) So this is my ode to fall and winter and the ways that they also remind us of God's love.

The God of All Seasons

Original poem; copyright Nathan Ludwick December 2013
(Nehemiah 9:5-6, Psalms 19, Isaiah 55:8-11, Psalms 124:8, Psalms 147, Ecclesiastes 3, Psalms 136, Psalms 148, Psalms 139, Job 38-41, Isaiah 40:25-31, Psalms 113:3)

The God for all seasons
Loves us- won't leave us alone- so let's go!
(So come on!)
God is the God of order
I see His order in the progression
of seasons just like
He orders the steps of a righteous man
I feel the love of God in all the seasons all year long.
In spring, summer, fall and winter
In the chill and cold of winter
God's love warms the heart of this forgiven sinner
The winters and nights of my life remind that God sets everything in motion
The sun and seasons progress in His time- and in the summertime, the living is easy.
Sunshine on my shoulders makes me feel happy.
But it's the rainy days and Mondays that always bring me down from
an artificial high that comes with the good times and days of our lives.
It seems it's these times most of all
that I go and run to The One
Who loves me in every season of life.
Every good and perfect gift comes
from above-from the Father of Lights, The Lord Almighty.
And He makes everything alrighty then whatever the situation.
Praise God for the pain that He allows to rouse a deaf world.
I love a rainy night when my power's shut down and my distractions
are suddenly shut off.
It reminds me to look to the God
of Light and Love who turns it on
and brings me The Power.
It's not that I want discomfort and
trials and struggling, but it's what
I need so often- like a gun at my
head to keep me honest 'cause a good man is hard to find.
And anything good in me is Christ and not me.
I know He's still shaping me into His mold of
perfection and will finish one day at last-
But until then, it still stings to burn away the chaff.