Our Joys becoming Ashes

The smell of the fire
the sweet agony
burning our hosannas
becoming dark cinders
the flame living, dying
the embers cooling
into blackest night
like it must have been in the garden
when Christ drank from the cup

Our joys becoming ashes
burned away from us
our hope in his dying
leading to the cross
the joy Easter yet to come
a hidden hope unrevealed
the burning of the palms
to mark our heads for you

July 25, 2011
on seeing the earlier poem,
“The Smell of the Burning Palms”
before posting it to www.christianpoetry.org
July 25, 2011
&
Luke 18:9-14,
The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector,
Joel 2:12-17a
burning the palms, making the ashes,
Hymn, “Sunday's Palms Are Wednesday's Ashes”,
The Faith We Sing, #2138, by Rae E. Whitney,
and Ash Wednesday Meditation
by Reverend Huntley Halvorson
http://www.suncookumc.org
Suncook United Methodist Church
http://www.suncookumc.org
http://facebook.com/groups/136632035559/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Suncook-United-Methodist-Church/102221356487965
Suncook, NH
February 17, 2010
&
Joel 2:12-17a
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21
Ephesians 3:14-21
and Ash Wednesday Meditation
by Reverend Huntley Halvorson
http://www.suncookumc.org
Suncook United Methodist Church
http://www.suncookumc.org
http://facebook.com/groups/136632035559/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Suncook-United-Methodist-Church/102221356487965
Suncook, NH
February 25, 2009