by AMN
Blood, Sweat and Tears,
constant heckling and nasty jeers.
Wrongfully convicted by a jury of
His peers.
When He gave up the ghost,
A soldier blatantly chose
To pierce His side with a spear.
That’s the same pain I felt when
the judge handed me sixty
years,
Blood, Sweat and Tears…
“Jesus’ Birth”
Holy child of virgin birth,
born to bring salvation to this earth.
Down from heaven you did come,
so that your Father’s will is done.
Not to bring peace, but the sword,
to separate your own from the horde.
Capstone of God’s glorious plan,
to bring redemption for every man.
Lying in a manger with your star overhead,
destined to die and be raised from the dead.
To fulfill the promise you’ll be hung on a tree,
becoming a curse to set men free.
by AMN
“A Convict’s Symphony”
The system believes that Christ would
never have any dealings with me.
A gangsta’ who ran the streets.
Welcome to this convict’s symphony,
Please forgive me,
But there’s no violins playing in this soliloquy.
The Messiah came to redeem me of
my iniquities!
It’s been almost two millennia since He
obediently embraced his destiny.
What was that you said to me?
Oh, yeah,
“Jesus despises people like me!” Continue reading
by AMN
Psalm 139:14
I
“Orange Crush is in the building!”
Is the call I hear at dawn’s break.
“Awake, awake, tactical is here to take!”
A thousand boots stomping, hundreds of
sticks clanging,
As they invade the cell house and raid.
Luke 1:32-33 – …the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever.
Jesus, the eternal Lord, sits upon the throne of David. Prisoners love the story of David. David the great king was also David the murderer and adulterer. In David’s story we see great sin, but also profound repentance and deep faith. On this the holy dynasty was founded.
Did David suffer for his sins? Of course. David lost his kingdom for a time, his family, and the son conceived in adultery died. But all of his suffering changed him, and it rooted his faith even deeper. David wasn’t strong enough to be used by God. He became weak enough.
Martin Luther King Jr. once said “the cross we bear always proceeds the cross we wear.”
We all bear our cross. We all sin. We all suffer. In well-to-do suburban churches this is not a common or easy truth, so learn it from those who know it intimately. We all sin and fall short of the glory of God. When we are able approach God with profound repentance, and are willing to remain steadfast in our faith, God will use us, and transform us. Everyone is capable of repentance, and from a position of profound repentance you can be weak enough to be used by God and raised to great heights.
“Gracious Father, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ came down from heaven to be the true bread which giveth life to the world: Evermore give us this bread, that he may live in us, and we in him; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen” BCP 167
Image by Matthew B. Harper
Prison Lectionary 