Birth and Rebirth

Birth and Rebirth

All of a sudden the birth pangs came
Hoped for, dreaded, intense
Focusing every bodily sense
Into the crisis of pain.

The baby lay on my arm
Small, round, red, crushed face
Every finger and toe in place
Suckling at last and calm.

Oh the joy of a baby’s smile
When dark eyes looked at me
The stirring of life in a soul is seen
In the love of a little child.

I thought of the birth pangs borne for me
As Jesus hung on the cross
What agony and bitter loss
He paid for a soul set free!

But oh the joy on the Father’s part
When I look to Him above
When He sees a smile of adoring love
Awakening in my heart!

The Old Book

The Old Book

What will we do with the Old Book
So out of touch and dated?
How long will we keep the Old Book
That says that God created?

Was not this world just formed by chance
Over myriads of years?
By accident on accident
Were formed your eyes and ears?

The Old Book’s “sin, abomination”
Is what we call gay pride
And greet the gays with acclamation
As through the streets they ride.

And did God know me in the womb
As the old book says?
Or should the womb become a tomb
For unborn boys and girls?

John Wycliffe trained his readers
To teach it far and wide.
For this his body was exhumed
Ash cast into the tide.

Luther nailed his theses firm
Upon an old church door.
He made his answer, “Here I stand
I can do no more!”

William Tyndale was arrested
Tried for heresy and burned.
Yet his work is in your Bible still
And from it we have learned.

We learned to follow Christ our Lord
To rest upon His grace.
On this old book I’ll take my stand
And keep it in its place.

Alison Cunningham © 2009