Found

After Luke 2:41-52 

The boy they’d lost,

the boy they feared

was dead, is found,

and found in the most

unlikely of places,

the temple of God;

doing the most unlikely

of things, teaching

the teachers, questioning

the teachers of the law,

amazing the teachers

with his understanding

and his answers. Who is

this 12-year-old from

Nazareth; can any good

come from that place?

And a boy, astonishing

the teachers, the old men,

the wise men, the sages,

with his understanding

and insight of God’s word.

 

Photograph by Jean Valjean via Unsplash. Used with permission.

Some Friday Readings

 

“All Bright Things,” poem by Steven Peterson – D.S. Martin at Kingdom Poets.

 

Defending the Faith Like the Apostle Paul – J.V. Fesko at Mere Orthodoxy.

 

Britain just proved that assisted suicide is not inevitable – Jonathon Van Maren at The Bridgehead.

Annual visit

After Luke 2:41-52 

It was something they did

every year, a journey

from Nazareth to Jerusalem,

to celebrate the Passover,

the remembrance of God’s

salvation of the people,

deliverance from Egypt,

deliverance from slavery,

the passing over the houses

marked with the blood

of the lamb over the doorway,

protected from the angel

of death. Jerusalem was

crowded, as it always was

at Passover, people crowding

into the city, packed throngs

around the temple, noise and

chaos and the bleating of lambs

to be sacrificed, food vendors

shouting, confusing to those

who did it every year. This year,

the couple from Nazareth brought 

their oldest, a 12-year-old boy,

a boy coming to visit

his father’s house.

 

Photograph by Toa Heftiba via Unsplash. Used with permission.

Some Friday Readings

 

“The Wish to Be Generous,” poem by Wendell Berry – D.S. Martin at Kingdom Poets.

 

“Lord of A Hopefulness,” poem by Joyce Anstruther – Anthony Esolen at Word & Song.

 

The Illustration – poem by Seth Lewis.

Light

After Matthew 5:13-16 

Light shines,

light illumines,

dispelling darkness

allowing truth to be

seen. No one uses

light to hide it,

or bring it. Light

is used to shine

upon the truth.

 

Put your light

upon a stand,

elevated to shine

in the household,

in the village,

in the land,

in the world.

 

Let your light shine

for others to see,

to allow others

in darkness come

into the light.

 

Photograph by Dyu-Ha via Unsplash. Used with permission.

Some Friday Readings

 

“The Beginning of Contemplation,” poem by Gail Fox – D.S. Martin at Kingdom Poets.

 

“The Kingdom of God,” poem by Francis Thompason – Megan Willome at Poetry for life.

 

Eclipsing the Sun – Seth Lewis.

 

The Ministry of Saying Less – Peter Mead at Biblical Preaching.

The signal

After Isaiah 11:1-11 

The day of the reign

of the root, the branch,

is a signal for the peoples,

all the peoples, and

the nations come to ask,

to worship. 

 

The hand of the root,

the branch, extends

to the scattered

remnants, all

the remnants,

his chosen,

gathered together

from the east

and the west,

the north and

the south, a signal

of the reign,

a signal

to come home.

 

Photograph by Hugo Jehanne via Unsplash. Used with permission.

Some Friday Readings

 

“Morning Person,” poem by Vassar Miller – D.S. Martin at Kingdom Poets.

 

“Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven,” hymn by Henry Francis Lyte and John Goss – Anthony Esolen at Word & Song.

 

Why I’m a Calvinist – Kyle Borg at Gentle Reformation.

The reign of the branch

After Isaiah 11:1-11 

The branch bursts

into view, soon

establishing itself,

establishing a reign,

a reign marked by

righteous judgment,

blessing the meek

of the earth, striking

the earth with words,

destroying the wicked

with his breath. He

uses a belt, a belt

of righteousness;

her wears a belt

of faithfulness.

Meekness is blessed,

belief is blessed,

faith a blessed,

wickedness is

destroyed.

 

Photograph by Nick via Unsplash. Used with permission.

Some Friday Readings

 

“Faith Is a Radical Master,” poem by Walt McDonald – D.S. Martin at Kingdom Poets.

 

A Blessing for the School Books – Kelly Keller at Story Warren.

 

“There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood,” hymn by William Cowper – Anthony Esolen at Word & Song.

 

Words Like Rain – poem by Seth Lewis.

A shoot, a branch

After Isaiah 11:1-11 

From the stump

of the axed tree

comes forth a shoot,

tender and green,

emerging against

all odds, forcing

its way, tender

and green, into

the air.

 

From the roots

of the axed tree

comes forth

a branch, fragile

but growing,

soon bearing

fruit, unexpected

fruit, bursting

from the branch,

nourishing and

beautiful, into

the air.

 

Photograph by Akira via Unsplash. Used with permission.

Some Friday Readings

 

“Ultrasound: Your Picture,” poem by George David Clark – D.S. Martin at Kingdom Poets.

 

How to Change Your Perspective on Time – Seth Lewis.

 

Access All Areas: Exhilarating Proximity in the Christian Bubble – Stephen McAlpine/

Labor pains

After Micah 5:2-5 

These are the labor pains,

the days of oppression

and cruelty, the days

of war and unrest,

the days of violence.

We are living through

the labor pains, as

the birth is imminent,

the birth foretold

from the ancient days,

the one who would

rule, who will

end the oppression,

end the cruelty and

war, will end unrest

and the violence.

The day is coming.

 

Photograph by Maria Luisa Queiroz via Unsplash. Used with permission.

Some Friday Readings

 

“Citizen of the World,” poem by Joyce Kilmer – D.S. Martin at Kingdom Poets.

 

“Blessed Be the Tie that Binds,” hymn by John Fawsett – Anthony Esolen at Word & Song.

 

There is Almost Always a Need Behind the Need – Michael Kelley at Forward Progress.

 

Religion and Magic – Dwight Longenecker at The Imaginative Conservative.

He sings over you

After Zephaniah 3:14-20 

Forget the humiliation,

forget the shame.

The Lord is singing

over you.

 

He takes away

the judgments

against you.

He wipes away

the enemies

arrayed against

you. He gathers

the weak, the outcast,

the oppressed

in his arms,

transforming shame

into praise.

 

He gathers us in,

he exalts over us,

he sings our renown,

he sings our praise.

 

Photograph by Steven Erixon via Unsplash. Used with permission.

Some Friday Readings

 

“At the Cemetery,” poem by Robert Cording – D.S. Martin at Kingdom Poets.

 

Honey: A healing gift from the Creator – Creation.com. 

 

When Your Boss Expects You to Lie – John Piper at Desiring God.

 

“Fight the Good Fight,” hymn by John Samuel Bewley Monsell – Anthony Esolen at Word & Song.

 

A Given – poem by Seth Lewis.

A refiner's fire

After Malachi 3:1-4 

The one foretold

is coming,

coming like a fire,

a purifier’s fire,

a refiner’s fire

sifting like a refiner

of silver and gold,

purifying and whittling

away of impurities.

The purified will bring

offerings, offerings

pleasing to the Lord

as they did in days

of old.

The fire of righteousness

purifies and cleanses,

making the offerings

making us, pleasing

and acceptable to the Lord.

 

Photograph by Yasin Hemmati via Unsplash. Used with permission.

Some Friday Readings

 

“Eschatology,” poem by Jose Tolentino Mendonca – D.S. Martin at Kingdom Poets.

 

How to Wait for Cultural Reckoning – Joe Carter at The Gospel Coalition.

 

“Away With Our Sorrow and Fear,” hymn by Charles Wesley – Anthony Esolen at Word & Song.

 

Poetry Helps You Open Your Heart to God – Catherine Lawton at Glimpses of Glory in the Unfolding Story. 

 

The Skill That Unlocks Other Skills – Seth Lewis.

 

An Ear for the Outsider, Part 2 – poem by Andrew Roycroft at New Grub Street.

If you wander

After James 5:13-20 

If you wander,

if anyone you know

wanders from the truth,

 

allow someone to bring

you back, bring

the wanderer home.

 

Whoever brings the wanderer

home, whoever brings

the sinner home from

his wandering, saves

his soul from death,

saves his soul from

destruction.

 

Whoever brings the wanderer

home, the sinner

to repentance, covers

a multitude of sins,

a multitude.

 

Photograph by Giuliano Gabella via Unsplash. Used with permission.Some Friday Readings

 

“A Simple, Cheerful Active Live on Earth,” poem by N.F.S. Grundtvig – D.S. Martin at Kingdom Poets.

 

“Hark! The Voice Eternal,” poem by John Julian – Anthony Esolen at Word & Song.

 

Does the Day End in Night, or the Night End in Day? – Seth Lewis.

 

Dwell – poem by Megan Willome.

 

Riding Like the Riding of Jehu – poem by Cody Ilardo at Power & Glory.

Suffering and praise

After James 5:13-20 

Do you suffer?

Sing praise!

Do you ail in body

or heart? Sing

praise! Do you

hurt? Is your

heart sick?

Sing praise!

 

Praise is not

the first thing

we think of

when we’re sick,

when we suffer.

But to sing praise

is an act of

submission,

acknowledging

the One,

celebrating

the One, even

as we suffer.

He is there.

His is always

there.

 

Photograph by Road Trip with Raj via Unsplash. Used with permission.

Some Friday Readings

 

“Balloon Flower,” poem by Claudia Lee Hae-in – D.S. Martin at Kingdom Poets.

 

You Can Forgive Someone and Still Lock the Door – Lara d’Entremont at A Mother Held.

 

“Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken,” hymn by John Newtson – Anthony Esolen at Word & Sing.

 

“The Book of the World,” poem by William Drummond of Hawthornden – Sally Thomas at Poems Ancient and Modern.

No grumbling!

After James 5:7-12 

No grumbling against

one another; grumbling

implies you’re judging

one another, and you,

too, will be judged;

the Judge is standing

at the door. Consider

the prophets. They were

patient on their suffering,

and they suffered 

for how they served

the Lord. Be patient

and steadfast in your

patience. Job remained

patient and steadfast

in the face of terrible

trials and ordeals.

And Job received

compassion and mercy.

So, cut the grumbling.

 

Photograph by Engin Akyurt via Unsplash. Used with permission.

Some Friday Readings

 

“Concerning a Nightingale,” poem by Alcuin – D.S. Matin at Kingdom Poets.

 

“He Leadeth Me,” hymn by Joseph Henry Gilmore – Anthony Esoloen at Word & Song.

 

The Secret Place – Daniel Kunkel t Mere Orthodoxy.

Watch it, rich man!

After James 4:10-5:6 

A fundamental question:

what do you do with

your wealth? What do

you do with all the Lord

has blessed you with?

Riches for the sake

of riches is chasing

after the wind. You

blink your eyes, and

your riches have rotted,

your clothes become rags,

your stocks have crashed,

your banks have closed,

your comfortable life

of indulgence have ended.

You’ve condemned and

defrauded the righteous

person. It is time for you

to weep and howl for

the miseries coming

upon you.

 

Photograph by Jingming Pan via Unsplash. Used with permission.

Some Friday Readings

 

“Treasures of TANAKH Hebrew: Hineni,” poem by Brian Volck – D.S. Martin at Kingdom Poets.

 

A Lot of Christian Tech Criticism is Missing Three Important Things – Samuel D. James at Digital Liturgies.

 

Icthus – poem by Andrew Roycroft at New Grub Street.

 

“From Greenland’s Icy Mountains,” hymn by Reginald Heber – Anthony Esolen at Word & Song.

 

A pair of sonnets for St. John the Baptist – Malcolm Guite.

 

A Puddle of Pure Joy – Seth Lewis.

Watch your tongue!

After James 4:10-5:6 

Watch your tongue;

don’t speak evil

against your brother.

If you do, you

become a judge,

not of the behavior,

but a judge of the law,

a judge against 

the law. That means

you become one

who judges, not

one who obeys the law,

one who lives the law.

You try to turn

yourself into the one,

the only one, who

can truly judge,

the one who saves.

Sometimes, all times,

Keep your tongue

in your mouth, and

keep your mouth closed.

 

Photograph: The Day of Judgment by William Blake; Art Institute of Chicago via Unsplash. Used with permission.

Some Friday Readings

 

From “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge – D.S. Martin at Kingdom Poets.

 

When Innovation Isn’t the Answer – Darryl Dash at Dashhouse.

 

What Do You When You Fail? – Jeffrey Stivason at Gentle Reformation.

 

“In the Sweet By-and-By,” hymn by Sanford Fillmore Bennett – Anthony Esolen at Word & Song.

The world

After James 4:1-10 

How do you

define the world?

Quarrels, fights,

passions at war

within, desire,

covetousness, pride,

misguided praises,

adulterousness.

To befriend that,

to be a friend 

of the world,

is to be an enemy

of God, is to declare

war on heaven.

 

God is jealous;

he wants your heart.

It’s why he made

the spirit to dwell

within us.

 

Photograph by Greg Rosenke via Unsplash. Used with permission.

Some Friday Readings

 

“What the Young Saint Said,” poem by Gerard Smyth – D.S. Martin at Kingdom Poets.

 

How to Read the Bible When Your Heart Feels Cold – Andrew Dacis at Ligonier.

 

Columba and my calling – Malcolm Guite.

 

“Teach Me, My God and King,” hymn by George Herbert – Anthony Esolen at Word & Song.

 

Where wisdom is not

After James 3:13-18 

If you see jealousy,

if you experience it 

yourself, you will

not find wisdom.

If you feel selfish

ambition in your heart,

a desire for glory,

recognition, praise 

of others, you will

not find wisdom.

Jealousy and selfish

ambition produce

disorder and vileness.

That’s the wisdom

of this world, unspiritual;

that’s the wisdom

of this world, demonic. 

 

Photograph by Priscilla Du Preez via Unsplash. Used with permission.

Some Friday Readings

 

Eusebius, Early Christianity’s Historian – Michael De Sapio at The Imaginative Conservative.

 

“She Prays,” poem by Ella Higginson – D.S. Martin at Kingdom Poets.

 

The Distance We Keep – Michael Mellette at Mockingbird.

 

The Life God Didn’t Let You Live – Katie Kaitkep.