wilderness way, image by Garrett, on Pixabay
Year of Jubilee
What God saw
Jesus in the Garden,
Sweating drops of blood,
As he prayed for the flesh
That encased the Messiah
And for the souls of all mankind.
Most brutal of deaths, the tomb
The rising again of the Nazarene,
Titus’ destruction of Jerusalem
In crumbled stone, fire and blood.
The Jewish nation over the centuries
In diaspora, ridicule, inquisition
Death camps and crematoria,
Through it all, keeping covenant with God
“Next year in Jerusalem,”
Who brought them together
Once again as a nation
Keeping covenant with Israel.
What God expects
Keep blood covenant
With my Son,
The covenant of Calvary
And the empty tomb.
Oh, yes. The tough one,
“Become as little children.”
(Previously published as a longer version by Heart of Flesh, May 2021)
Scripture reference: Matthew 18:3
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Slaves
The sacrifice of God’s own Son
On that appointed tree
Before the world and water were
Was destined for our liberty
Like summer when she breathes
The life that spring has sown
And offers what we all could share
And yet so few have known
With ease and swiftness it departs
While heedlessly we wait
For we are slaves of our own hearts
And freedom comes so late
*
Lost and Found
You are the nascent whisper
Of an autumn breeze
The clouds that gather
The rain that falls
Memory of all the years
Before and after you were here
A lost dream of heaven
Where the Son is the Light
And the arms of angels
Lift us from this night
*
New
He’s a lamp for our feet on the path
Toward that endless and brighter day
Though our sins were darkest night
His Blood has washed them away
He says, “Do not fear, little flock.”
You will be called by your new names
He is your sword and your shield
You will not be brought to shame
Remember, the past is no more
Our God makes everything new
In wilderness He builds a road
In the desert a stream for you
Scripture references: Psalm 119:105, Proverbs 4:18, Revelation 1:5, Luke 12:32,
Isaiah 56:5, Deuteronomy 33:29, Isaiah 54:4, Revelation 21:5, and Isaiah 43:19
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Robert Funderburk was born by coal oil lamplight in his home near Liberty, Mississippi, graduated from Louisiana State University in 1965, served as Staff Sargeant in the US Air Force Reserves from 1965 to 1971. His writing experience includes seventeen published novels, one
a national bestseller; eighty-five poems and five short stories accepted by various literary journals; and one chapbook. He is a 2023 Pushcart Prize nominee. Along with his wife, Barbara, Robert lives and writes from the peace of their home on fifty acres of wilderness in Olive Branch, Louisiana.
July 2024 issue
Another selection of wonderful poems by Robert Funderburk. "Like summer when she breathes
The life that spring has sown," "the arms of angels Lift us from this night," and "In wilderness He builds a road In the desert a stream for you."