The Cycle of this Struggle (Poems)
Foreign King, after foreign King, after foreign King,
Made proclamations that changed the course of history,
They observed the truth-living of God’s chosen people,
The praise that the children of Israel offered
through the lives that they lived had spoken to those who were not believers.
The civilisations in the ancient times were very religious,
They worshiped a wide variety of God’s whom they said
Controlled all the aspects of nature and changed the fortunes of their citizens.
They built magnificent columned temples of stone,
Impressive and magnificent honouring their gods and wrote stories about their adventures
Saint Paul in Athens noticed they had in a temple an inscription to the unknown god.
He saw the colosseum where the Romans worshipped death and glorified the courage of the gladiators who were favoured by the gods to defeat Teams have sacred uniforms beasts and men,
They loved their blood sport and the atmosphere of the roaring crowd.
Today we have our stadiums too where worship rituals take place with great passion,
The followers wear their team colours and the crowd roars at the exploits of the sacred ones,
Even though the people in the crowd don’t realise that they are worshipping.
All humans are seeking something greater than themselves,
All are looking for the answer as to the meaning of life,
All feel the void within their heart for a hope and a future,
All seek to have their needs met for safety, a home to put a roof over their head and a good life,
All strive for personal happiness and to know that they are worthy and belong in their community.
What all are looking for is the true God of life, their creator and preserver,
The One God who has conquered death and opened heaven to all who believe,
In the man from Nazareth, a carpenter, who came from heaven to be with man,
The one betrayed by his disciples and was crucified on a cross along with robbers,
Who rose from the dead on the third day and appeared to many for forty days,
Then ascended into heaven with the promise that He will return.
God will raise those asleep in the coming age,
All who have died will come alive in the same way as Jesus came alive
In this life God calls His people, believers, to be living temples,
People who worship and praise Him in the way that they live life,
Living empowered by the Spirit to shine in the community as people of hope,
People who care for each other and are great citizens helping others and doing good,
People who make life amazing in their community by being salt and light,
Living values that are positive and good,
So that the people who are not yet believers want to know the God of love, forgiveness and fill the void they feel deep within their soul.
God calls the heart to be expressed through actions,
Worship is more than sharing a message and making friends with other people,
We are to die to self and surrender our life to The ONE who is the Creator of the Universe,
The One who created our DNA and made us all unique and built our bodies in our mother’s womb,
The One who controls the weather and has control over the planets and the stars,
We are to meet people where they are at,
To love them,
To care for them,
To live out the love of Jesus
To put others first and to build them up,
To express God’s heart to them,
That they too will want to be God’s people and know the fullness of heart and peace of mind,
Know their purpose and experience the reclaimed life in Christ.
Each day as we stumble and fail to live fully focused on God’s love,
We lift our gaze up to the cross and we remember the life He gave for us,
In order that our life forever is not lost,
We bend our knees and kneel before Him,
Daily to receive forgiveness and be unburdened,
And continue our journey home to Him.
The cycle of this struggle of saint and sinner,
Is repeated each day we live,
The human heart is weak,
We do not have the power,
To conquer our sin and live in holiness within,
As church at this we fail,
As of course all humans do,
We have a natural inclination
To always seek our own will to pursue
We want to get what’s best for us,
Enjoying life through and through!
Broken and failing we come back to you.
The creation of all things,
Speaks of purpose; that the world was made for a reason,
We were not an accident but have a purpose,
We have human needs as all people do,
To be healthy, happy and live well are just a few,
Finding meaning and fulfillment,
The answer to our soul’s desire and know the truth,
Only is available through our God who came,
As Jesus did for God,
Our heart to reclaim.
We are God’s poem,
Created to tell,
Of His great love,
Saving sinners from hell,
He crafted us for relationship to be,
Eternally to dwell in our forever home,
Where all of life is perfect and truth and love and joy and peace remain,
In perfect harmony for those who bear their Father’s name.
Neil P. Schiller (based on a Sermon by Pastor Roelof Buitendag Sunday 8.03.20)
