Old And New

It is well for the New
To be held in the arms of the Old
To be held by one, righteous and devout
who’s waited so long
with withering arms for Messiah
to come and rescue Jacob
The perfect pose
of every true Jew
expectant
eager
looking forward
In the present

Enter a peasant
with child
And in the old soul
a voice, the Spirit
thrice mentioned “Anoint him! This is He!”

Simeon sings Israel’s Swan Song She’s done her work, salvation delivered In an euthanasia, She passes into
a nobler form
true Israel
The Church
the Body of Christ

Not so well for the Old
is a frown upon the New And a Simeon
embracing the Infant Becomes a Herod destroying the infants Self-sovereignty threatened

Let the Old and New Sage and young
be found in the temple Like Simeon
and the Infant Christ in his arms 

Sovereign Lord

You are my Owner
my despot
I am your slave
As wicked a relationship,
“The sum of all villainies”
still the sum of all blessings
when between man and God

You’re right to command
My duty to obey Sovereign will,
Supreme over all
I yield up my own, wholly thine
Without reserve
Without reluctance
Absolute authority
calling for abject submission

The despot’s banner
is the right of life and death
Should you smite me down
No man has a say
But if my despot be God
then the banner is love
And every moment
of our lives
A gift from your hands

All that I have is yours
Yours before mine
Yours while mine
Because I am yours
Even what seems mine
Yours

What reason have I
to set up a puny will against yours
Your authority demands
that I regard myself, a son
But also a slave,
that I may be given a talent
to trade for thee
in Christian enterprise
project
venture

Deny not
the Despot that bought us
By His own precious blood 

Depart In Peace

The approach of death
Welcome
Weary waiting
Burdened mortality
Now time to rest

As a sentinel
is relieved of his post
May my lantern
be extinguished
The end of a long watch
Likened to the end of a long toil.

But not without permission
from a tranquil voice
Tranquil? Yes
For my eyes have seen
Thy salvation

That sight of Word made flesh
means the curfew bell has rung
The day’s work is done

These weary, blurred eyes
has seen all a man
needs to see to be
Satisfied
Blessed

Life can yield
Nothing more
After the sight of
God’s salvation
“both hands have been warmed”
by the fireplace of life
I am ready to
depart in peace