• A Light Shown Forth

    A Light Shown Forth

    This poem is based on John 10:22-39. Jesus is at the temple in Jerusalem during the Feast of Dedication or Hanukkah. The irony in the passage is that the shepherds of Israel, in the portico dedicated to Solomon, son of David and wisest of kings, are in the dark about…

  • The Promise

    The Promise

    The book of Jeremiah is hard reading. In much the same way as Lamentations, Jeremiah has at its heart promises of great consolation in chapters 30-33. These chapters will serve to be the source of reflection in a series for Advent which begins today. This sonnet is based on Jeremiah…

  • King of Peace

    King of Peace

    This sonnet is a bit reworked. (Is any poem ever finished?) It is based on Hebrews 7:1-8:1 in which the author of Hebrews explains the priestly ministry of Jesus Christ in light of the priest and king, Melchizedek, who appears in Genesis 14 blessing Abraham and giving him bread and…

  • Thanksgiving

    Thanksgiving

    A sonnet for Thanksgiving Day. For the blue sky sun, who showers warmth and light Though it runs fast on this short autumn day, For afternoon dusk, the long winter’s night, I give You thanks on this Thanksgiving Day. For this big beaver moon whose brighter ray Sends me inside,…

  • A Friend

    A Friend

    The psalms introduce “the princes” of the Old Testament who are the middle-managers of ancient Israel. Traditionally the role of a leader but not the king, the prince is a person who had some authority, but is not the king. Jeremiah speaks of them in chapters 37 and 38 as…