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'EVERY DAY IS CHRISTMAS TO ME' Brother Francis Tyson F.S.C
A series of Poems by Bill Buckingham These poems below are just a few written by Bill and are a tribute to him. Bill sadly died on his way to a Carol service on Sunday afternoon 3rd December 2000. You
are free to download the poems for your own private use or to further
God's Kingdom. The only thing we ask is that you give the proper credit to Bill. Copyright © Rita Buckingham. All Rights Reserved
The Good Shepherd The Cowards Race Solitude Down to Jerusalem Temptation & Fasting On Jordan's Bank Giving up for you Jesus and me The Rugged Cross Passion
Come stay with me for I am the Good Shepherd who minds the sheep and if they should be baptised in my name they shall surely be worthy of my keep. And if they fellow me I shall know them and they shall never sink below the deep angry sea, for I shall call calm and lift them free!
'Should I have run the coward's race Lord Should I have shouted so loudly? Or should I have kept my silence? Should I have understood? Should I have carried His burden or taken hold of His hand? Perhaps I should have carried His cross Should I have shown confidence or just hidden my face? Am I a man or a mouse? Did He promise to prepare me a house? Should I have run the coward's race and died in disgrace? Have I fallen from His grace? or should I have stood my ground for the newly found friend we had followed around?
He stands on His own, He is alone. There's no-one to defend Him Not one turns a stone. Should I have shouted so loud? Or should I have kept my silence? O God I am all alone. Am I to late?
Should I have run the coward's race to some secret place? Or should I, like he who had taken the silver and made his fearful haste.
When you're feeling all alone or feeling set apart be of good cheer keep the Lord in your heart, remember, He loved us right from the start.
And if you feel alone and afraid of the dark, keep the light of the Lord shining in your heart.
And when we feel depressed and bored be of good cheer and call upon the Lord, who cares and brings comfort to us all.
Down to Jerusalem they shall go to see the fine King go riding by, He will have no rings on His fingers and no bells on His toes, and people will follow Him where ever He goes.
They will follow Him with palms waving high, for the King on a donkey riding by. He will have no crown and no golden robes. But people will follow him where ever He goes.
They will follow Him to Jerusalem, with their palms held high. And cry sweet Hosannas as He rides by. He has no rings on His fingers, no bells on His toes but we will gladly follow Him where ever the Lord and Saviour goes.
They will see their fine King on a donkey ride by. He won't ride in majesty and he will surely die. And those sweet Hosannas will change to 'Crucify.'
Forty days and forty nights Jesus fasted in the wilderness tempted by the devil who tried to convert Him to hell. He asked Him to change the stones to bread. The devil told Him he would be lifted up if He fell. The devil showed Him all the cities paved in gold. But for His Father in Heaven His strong faith did hold, and the devil was left out in the cold.
Then the devil tried once more "if you worship me, all will be yours as far as you can see" But Jesus replied "Do not tempt the Lord your God. And do not tempt me - be gone, and let me take my father's work on" The devil was angry and downhearted, and leaving Jesus he quickly went.
On Jordan's bank they joined the ranks to hear John the Baptist cry Repent and come on in and I shell wash away your sin and you shall surely die to sin. He who is to come is much greater than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to tie. I am crying in the wilderness, make a path straight for the Lord. Repent! and new life will be your reward.
Lent is a time for learning what God has done for us A time for realising His gift both great and small A time to remember His Passion so cruel And the death he suffered for the sake of us all.
Lent is a time for gathering all His people to read the scriptures, to hear His call To feel the tender love he has for us all.
Lent is for remembering Easter And for giving up something no greater than life. A mother giving up her son, a son His mother And God sacrificing His only Son.
Lent is for remembering that first Easter morn When from a stone cold grave A Saviour was reborn again Our beloved Saviour who was slain.
We walk in the hills and down in the valleys And we rested beneath a large shady tree Jesus, his followers and me. They spoke of when they fished on Galilee And from temptation and sin He set them free. They spoke of healing, the blind made to see And those who were lame danced For Jesus, His followers and me. They told of five fishes and bread, and spoke of the thousands they had fed. The sad loss of a friend who was raised from the dead. The stories and parables He told to the young and the old. Then Peter invited Jesus, his followers and me to share some tea. Glad to have shared their lives with me.
Oh the old rugged cross You feel no shame You are only wood that some evil men have made. Now you stand so firm and tall and strong Outside the city wall But you cannot weep over your sad burden Or feel the shame for your love You are only wood built for man's no good You are nothing tree of shame.
Oh you old rugged cross You were once a tree of the forest You had branches and lush green leaves. You once sheltered your victims from the hot sun and pouring rain Now you stand weather worn yourself a tree of terrible shame.
You were a tree when He came as a babe You were a tree when He came to save All through his short life the good He gave. Now you stand an emblem of His suffering and pain And you're empty, just an old rugged cross of shame.
You built boats for the fishermen For those who toiled upon the good land a plough. For an infant child a cradle. For the God-sent a cross of great shame.
Do not look away from the man who carried his cross Look upon his shameful lot. Hear the crowd's awful scorn, see the body stripped and torn. He was pure, his heart was warm you ask why ever did he fail, you hear the hammer strike the nail you hear the women weep and wail. The crown of thorns upon his head, his face so pale, his brow trickling red. 'King of the Jews' they said You see the sky, you hear his cry He forgives all before he dies. Now he lives for us all.
'EVERY DAY IS CHRISTMAS TO ME' by Brother Francis F.S.C.
Every day is Christmas to me, Good Friday, Easter, Ascension day too. Add to these Whit Sunday when the Holy Spirit came down on men... To make us clear of the role of CHRIST, God-made-man to give us life... Eternal life... to ensure that we, Though born to die, live on in Paradise...
Yes, Dear Lord, You were born for us, Lived and died to show us the way. You rose again, returned to Heaven; And now in Godly Majesty, with the Father and Spirit, Blest Trinity, Help us share Your Love.... ETERNALLY.
Brother Francis was inspired to write this poem in 1998 after reading that Birmingham the 3rd largest city in England, is to abolish the celebration of Christmas for "Winter Festivities day", and that there will be no official prayer to honor Christ on the day we celebrate His second millennium as God-made-man. He hopes that this poem will remind people of why God made man at all.
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