About Me

This blog is dedicated to the glorification of my King Jesus Christ.

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Broken at the Altar (poem)

Cross, oh cross
Why have you abandoned me?

From the depths of despondency I desperately cry out to you.
No response.
Engulfed in the fire of pain and iniquities.

Cross, I need you!
Yet your perfect figure stands atop the altar emotionless, lifelessly staring back at me--
With no sign of acknowledgement or consolation,
You lifelessly stare back at me--
Silent, ignoring my pleas and cries for healing.

Cross, oh cross
Why do you not answer?
Why do you choose to leave me so?


Alone, I stand.
My cries reverberating piercingly across the sanctuary.
Alone, I come to you at the altar of consecration, sanctification
The weight of all my iniquities,
The burden of all my shame flowing through my veins.
Piling onto me like the chasms of chaos,
Onto me like stone bricks, each one heavier than the one before.
Feeling entirely exposed and vulnerable to everything within me and everything against you.
Fully aware now, of my desecration, my violations.
My sins.


Forsaking everything I am and everything that I once was,
I took a few steps closer until I was directly below you.
Completely and utterly broken-
I threw my knees down to the carpeted floor,
My head bowed down before you until I could scarcely breathe.


Forgive me, for I have sinned.


Forgive me, Lord, for my deeds and my actions,
For my impure mind and my unclean lips.
For my deceit and conceit.
Forgive me, Lord, for everything I have done against you-
For all the times I have turned away, forsaken you-
For all those times I pushed you aside and put idols before you.
Forgive me Lord, for I am such a sinful and wretched being, so undeserving of everything you have given me and showered upon my feet.

Forgive me Lord, for I have sinned.


Weeping uncontrollably and broken on my knees,
You embraced me into your abounding arms of grace and mercy.


I still love you, my beloved child,

I still love you.


************

I had written this poem 3 years ago, during my junior year in highschool. I remember first writing it because I had become so overwhelmed with the depth of my sin... I cant really recall what was happening at the time, but I do know that it had been a rough week and a tough time in my life, and I kept seeing uglier and nastier sides of my heart that I hadnt even known ever existed. My skin was being stripped away, layer by layer, and i felt utterly naked and depraved. This was the first time I saw myself for how bad I truly was. I was undone. Out of the depths of my heart, I strung together this poem, hoping to bring reconciliation between me and God. After going back to him and recieving grace and seeing for the first time how utterly wicked my heart was, yet learning that God still embraced me in my uncleanliness --compelled me to write this ending. I had cried out to God in my depression, and he came and comforted me. I called, and He answered.

Looking back, now I would write this poem with less focus on my sin and more focus on the cross and how I am made completely whole and completely new in his blood. However, I still want to preserve the authenitcity of this poem, because it was and still is one of my most cherished writings because I had poured my whole heart into writing this. So here it is... my raw poetry. Not the best poetry, but written from a sincere heart that was longing for God's redemptive love.


And so I thought it would be appropriate to share this poem with you all since today is good friday. The day that Jesus bore all my and your sins upon his shoulder and gave us his holiness and his righteousness. Even though He knew no sin whatsoever, he became sin for us, so that we could be righteous, and so we could then inherit His own right standing and perfect relationship with God! I was reflecting upon the fact that the the God of the universe would come on Earth TO die. He came to Earth knowing he would die, he came to live for the purpose of dying. So many times in the gospels Jesus warns his disciples over and over again the death that he would undergo for the sake of the world. He walked on the earth already knowing His destiny on the cross--YET he did NOT shrink back from the most devastating pain ever known in the history of mankind. He would not even alleviate his pain one centimeter less by drinking the wine given to him by the soldier while he was on the cross. He took our sin and the suffering to the fullest and most extreme extent, all the way onto death, onto the very end.


Our extreme sin calls for an extreme solution.
And this solution is through Cgrist Jesus's extreme sacrifice and suffering on the cross.
That, my friends.... this is extreme love, love in the rawest form, poured out and lasvished upon us.

May you let his love and sacrifice wash you anew this weekend. :]

Sunday, April 17, 2011

The only language is Love


His name was Giuermo.
He was a dark hispanic, probably around the age of 55 with long white curly hair and eyes that could light up the night sky. His clothes were a bit soiled, but overall, it was in decent condition considering he had been living on the streets for a while now. His face multiplied in wrinkles when he smiled, the creases on his face more defined on the meat where his mouth and his cheekbones met, wrinkles also forming near the edges of his eyes. His face crinkled with excitement and his eyes twinkled with joy and his teeth sparkled with the secret of paradise whenever he smiled.

We had met him last week at skid row,to put it plainly, divinely. In short, we saw him walking down the street and since he was too far from us, we decided to get back in the car and chase him down because we felt led to talk to him. His initial reaction was one of surprise and mistrust,but when Brian ran after him with a sandwhich in his hand, Giuermo turned around and greeted us with a big smile. he ran to us and gave us a hug, elated that we had brought him food. We also gave him a sleeping bag and he instantly looked towards heaven and clasped his hands, thanking jesus over and over again. His insurmountable joy for having God provide the simplest things was overwhelming. Although he literally had nothing, he had everything in Christ; even his homeless situation did not hinder him from clapping and singing praises of jubilation and exultation to God.

We knew he was of the christian faith, and when we tried to talk to him, he could only reply back in Spanish and a few English words. Miraculously, we still understood what he was saying with his hand gestures and his few English words scattered here and there. After praying and imparting blessings onto him, we told him that next time we came to visit him we would try to learn more Spanish so that we could communicate with him.

yet he replied back with a response that was both surprising and touching.
he said,
"in Jesus, the only language is love. I love you guys."


wow. so simple, yet so profound and so true.
What Gieurmo had said struck a beautiful chord in my heart, as I knew that this simple truth was so real. Love is the only language that can bridge social classes, racial differences, and cultural distinctions. Love really is the only language that everyone, no matter what you are or where you came from, can understand. Love does not raise walls of distinction or emphasize differences in background, culture, or intellect, but instead love looks past differences and strives for commonality, blurring the lines and bridging the gaps that would cause man to separate. Love has no boundaries. Because love is also an action, when you show someone an act of kindness, it is understood and received and known as love.


In our case, our commonality is Jesus, who is Love incarnate, the I AM who IS love.

And Jesus is the one who came down to earth to be the ultimate mediator between God and man. He is the ultimate bridge builder who bridged the greatest gap. He is the one who made an eternal way for man to be able to reach god, to have unlimited access to the Holy of Holies, into the most intimate place with the Father now and forever more. There is nothing that can ever come in between God's love for us now, no height nor depth, nor angels nor demons, nor things in the past or in the future that can ever ever ever separate us from the love of God through Christ Jesus our Saviour.

wow... and surely Jesus' love has no boundaries. And because of Christ Jesus, the boundaries of culture and society are no longer in place, for we are all brothers and sisters in one body, in one Church, under one god. In Christ, we can look past all these physical boundaries and limitations and acknowledge each individual as they truly are-- a precious soul, God's cherished creation. For in Christ there is no longer Jew nor Gentile, male nor female.
And at the end of the age, ALL peoples from EVERY nation, tribe and tongue will worship god and we will all come together with one mind and one joy, having love as our centrality as we all worship our lord and Saviour Jesus!


Love came down and rescued me,
Love came down to set me free,
and now I am Yours, I am forever Yours.