Autumn arrives like an old friend,
Unpacks his bags: gifts of color, cool weather,
Tastes and smells welcome and
Unmistakable. He takes much but gives
More, whispering through death of
Newness of life.
Photo by Erik Witsoe on Unsplash
And in these darker days late in the year,
When night falls sooner and we feel the chill
Of autumn in each breeze, we start with fear
But find amidst the ghosts and ghouls goodwill
As families and friends come out to play
And share some goodies too. Then as the air
Grows dry and cold, we mourn the loss of day
Yet turn to thanks, in fellowship and pray’r
And much good food. And then we put up lights
To fill the longest nights with hope and cheer.
The season’s stories, smells, tastes, sounds, and sights
Bring warmth unparalleled to end the year.
It’s true, the light is lesser now, but hark!
The angel’s song still sounds here in the dark!
Photo by Kenrick Mills on Unsplash
In fear, we burn down bridges, build up walls.
We work against the good that you intend.
Yet you account for failures, fights, and falls
And bring good anyway, and you can mend
Our rent relationships and broken hearts,
Redeeming what was ruined by these hands.
We shatter graces, scatter all the parts;
You hold all things together in your plans.
Lord, you give purpose even to our pain.
The love we tear asunder, you renew.
You see the growth to come from all the rain,
And you sustain us till we see it too,
Till chosen exile ends in holy rest
And dispossession’s fin’lly dispossessed.
Photo by Aleksandra Sapozhnikova on Unsplash
The cold has come, the darkness steals the day,
But not in ev’ry way.
For still some voices sing
Of home, a land untouched by this decay.
Though presently we feel the bitter sting
Of this scene’s disarray,
For those who know the King,
The final act is not the fall, but spring.
Photo by Septumia Jacobson on Unsplash
You may have heard the analogy of the terrible car accident, an example of something you don’t want to see but you can’t help but watch. Some parts of Scripture seem fitting passages for such a comparison (think of the story of Lot’s daughters in Genesis 19 or of David’s adultery and murder in 2 Samuel 11). Horror movies also match the model with their fantastical depictions of the broken state of reality. But true crime stories, for many people, may serve as more poignant examples of evil in our world.
The fall was not the final word.
Isaiah has foretold,
A silent lamb shall take our place,
A saving act of wrath and grace
That sinners young and old
Might know the power of the Word:
Christ.
He laid aside his majesty
To be for us the light
And tasted death in place of men
That man might know freedom from sin.
He overcame the night
And shines for all eternity.
Photo by Daniel Sandvik on Unsplash
as i learn to walk 