Man of Sorrows
He hung suspended - between Heaven and Hell,
life and death, God and damnation.
Long ago, far away, so the Gospels tell,
He gave His life for our salvation.
He wept our tears, our guilt on Him was lain,
He took our burdens and bent with our sin's weight,
His body was broken, He was afire with pain.
But the human agony, though so very great,
could not begin to compare with the pain He knew
at the darkness which separated Him now at death's hour,
from His beloved Father - as the stain of our sins grew
He was utterly cut off from God's almighty power.
But as His triumphant cry rent that dark air;
"It is finished", echoed the angels in heavenly chorus,
and satan was bound and cast down into his lair.
When death and damnation were defeated,
Love was victorious!
But, oh, how the heart of sweet Jesus does weep,
when He looks at His world after two thousand years,
for so few of God's children His life rules will keep,
"Did I die for nothing?" He asks through His tears.
For though many are saved and sing victorious songs
many myriads more wait in the darkness of sin,
worshipping money and power and denying their wrongs,
not knowing or wanting or caring for Him.
But though we are victors with our conquering Lord,
we cannot rest on our laurels 'till every lost soul
has heard and accepted God's life-giving Word,
for ALL souls for Heaven must be our Church's goal!
c Catherine van Zoen 1996
BlessingsEmail: Catherine Davies (Married March 2002)