Friday, February 22, 2008

To Love Our Country

To love our county,
right or wrong,
isn’t to put our heads in the sand;
but to stand by our nation
through thick and thin,
believing in it always,
working to change our country
to more fully realize
our loftier ideals

February 19, 2008
The Exchange, NHPR, 2/18/08
Socrates Radio Café: What does Love of Country Mean?
http://www.nhpr.org/node/15188



All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage. See all 28,680+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live. 

Sunday, February 17, 2008

One Body of Christ

We are together all
one body of Christ
all are needed
to lift up the down trodden,
heal the sick, comfort
those who are lost
To share the good news,
witness to the world,
we must be of one accord
and speak with
the voice of the Master,
being His hands, His feet,
His voice for mercy, for justice,
humbly sharing His love.

February 17, 2008

Changing Our World - 2

From within us,
we are called
to ministries, walking
humbly with God.
To do mercy to our
neighbors, to act
with justice
in our communities;
to fight injustice
in our troubled world

February 17, 2008
Micah 6:8



All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage. See all 27,420+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

A Covenant of Faith

Faith was the consideration
tangible belief in the unknown
the unseen promise, made the covenant
the contract, the bargain,
between God and Man
A constellation, a beach
a sky of stars or a field of sand
so shall your children be,
if you go where I call
if you leave all,
and follow me
Your belief,
not your works,
your deeds
will buy the kingdom

February 17, 2008
Genesis 12:1-9
Genesis 12:1-4a and
sermon, “Peculiar Treasures II: Abraham on the Move”
by the Rev. Peter Hey,
Wesley United Methodist Church,
Concord, NH, 2/17/08

Holy Spirit

Voice deep within me
counselor, protector
steel my feet, guide my steps;
let me walk in the ways of the Son,
my brother before me,
lead me in the ways of the Father
so I may give Him the glory
watch over me Spirit;
help me to be a servant,
a messenger, a disciple
in this time and place
Guide me to the work
that needs to be done;
use me for your purposes,
in humility and faith

February 17, 2008

Illuminate

Illuminate all of my life, Lord
shine light into the darkness,
guide my feet, Spirit
Help me walk back to you,
my creator, to your house,
your temple; make me your servant
your disciple, spreading the good news
to the world. Watch over me,
lead me where you will,
to do your work
Light my path;
lead me home.

February 17, 2008

Always - 2

Always ready, a banquet prepared
laid out, refreshed as needed
oil lit and maintained,
waiting for us to accept the gift
to reach out and grace the creator
by welcoming His grace
into our hearts
to feel the love of the savior
warm us, heal us
bring us home

February 17, 2008
Prevenient Grace
http://gbgm-umc.org/UMW/wesley/walk.stm

Offered

Hands outstretched
reaching for us;
hoping we would accept the offer
the gift of love, of grace, of mercy
sacrifice for our saving,
reconciled back to Him
we need but accept the offer
for eternal peace

February 17, 2008
Prevenient Grace
http://gbgm-umc.org/UMW/wesley/walk.stm

Weather Poetry - by one of the WMUR Meteorologists

Printed off the WMUR website (http://www.wmur.com/weather/index.html) 12/15/07 at 15:35

“A Sloppy Sunday Storm!
A major winter storm has marked New Hampshire for its path of wint’ry weather Sunday. Unlike Thursday’s storm, Arctic air will not be able to hold the day completely, and a mélange of nasty weather parfait will fall across the Granite State.”

Balancing Worship

To love Jesus,
really love his ministry, his message
We need to see him, as he was,
as he was seen in the world
in his travels in the land
To see him as homeless,
wandering untethered,
outside the law,
claiming deity, fulfillment
Speaking in paradox, in parable
messianic and servant
pauper and king

February 17, 2008
Based on Colossians 1:11-20 and the sermon,
“Imaging Jesus”, by the Reverend Lori Eldredge,
Wesley United Methodist Church, Concord, NH
November 25, 2007

Standing in the Water

He was right there, in the heart of it
standing in the water, calling the people
chiding the charlatans, the vipers,
standing in the river, water to clean
to wash clean; Repentance!
A new baptism to come
from the savior at the riverbank,
in the water, falling into the water
Rising to light from heaven, to the Spirit
descending like a dove.
A witness now, no long merely
crying in the wilderness
A witness to
the coming of the Son of God,
anointed for mission,
to bring us back to God

February 17, 2008
John 1:29-42 and sermon,
“Witness”, by Reverend Peter Hey,
Wesley United Methodist Church,
Concord, NH 1/20/08

So Easy to Forget

We so often forget
where we have been
So easily see that speck,
so blind to the log, to plank
embedded deep into the optic nerve
Easier to fault, to chide
than to face our share
of the blame, to go around
How quick we forget
our failing, our fall
to temptation,
often so small,
when we judge others

February 10, 2008
Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7,
Matthew 4:1-11, Genesis 1:28-31, and
the sermon, “My Brother’s Keeper”,
by Pastor Ruth L. Foss,
Sanbornville United Methodist Church,
Wakefield, NH, 2/10/08
and the sermon, “Seeing With New Eyes”,
by the Rev. Lori Eldredge,
Wesley United Methodist Church,
Concord, NH 2/10/08

The Prayer - by Erica Berberena

God gave us a prayer
and nothing can compare
to His love
That descended like a dove
For this prayer
Made all of us aware
That he loves us
and we’ll cuss.

by Erica Berberena
February 17, 2008

If I was Nicodemus

What would I ask Jesus?
John 3:1-17

- Who created/made the Bible?
- What can I do to represent myself as a follower of Jesus, of God?
- What does heaven look like?
- Does God think I am a bad disciple or a good disciple?
- What does it feel like to be crucified?
- What was it like to live in Bible times?
- How old are you?
- Why didn’t people believe, even you?
- How will we know it is you when you come again?
- Why did you say “Son of God”, rather than “I” in the Bible?
- What’s your favorite ice cream?
- What is your favorite color?
- What is being born again?
- Will you save us all?
- Do you love us all?
- Are you the real Messiah?
- Are you the father from heaven?

Questions posed in the Middle High Sunday School,
Wesley United Methodist Church, Concord, NH,
February 17, 2008

Beyond His Ken

Like a professor
explaining theoretical physics
to a wide-eyed preschooler,
so must it have been
the divine and the human
Meaning, full nuanced meaning
lost on the listeners
stuck within the here, the now
understanding only the heard, the seen
Nothing beyond his ken
All of us needing that
singular expert witness,
and repeated instruction

February 17, 2008
John 3:1-17

By His Faith

Like him, we are justified
by faith, by our trust, our belief
not by our deeds, our works,
He believed and he went
where God sent him
Through his faith
he was blessed by God
The underlying covenant
of faith, not of blood,
spirit-filled trust
We too, by our living faith
walk in his sandals,
reap the same harvest
as the children of Abraham

February 17, 2008
Genesis 12:1-4a
Romans 4:1-5, 13-17