Tag Archives: forgiveness

Lent 5: First Sunday of Lent

So bones, built to follow, ache When trapped inside guilt’s cave.   Tongues, carved to praise, grow numb When, dry and thick with sin, they lie in silence.   And hearts, taught to turn upwards in trust, Grow ashen when no light has space to shine.   Open, heart. Untangle, tongue. Bones, rejoice. Redemption lightContinue reading “Lent 5: First Sunday of Lent”

“Shriven” – Streaming Page CXVI Day 7

Today is Shrove Tuesday, a day simultaneously associated with pancakes and confession of sin. It is also the day before Lent begins, with Ash Wednesday’s focus on repentance: a day of feasting before the fast begins. Today’s song, the final track from Page CXVI’s “Lent to Maundy Thursday”, is a beautiful reflection on the loveContinue reading ““Shriven” – Streaming Page CXVI Day 7″

Timid Heart

Timid heart, Scared of dirt, Frightened soul, Fleeing all, Fledgling man, Adam-stained, Broken saint, Breathing faint, Ageing child, Lost and wild, Fractured mind, Wounded, blind, Death-marked Cain, Madman, sane, Searching eyes, Veiled skies, God-child dead, The curse unsaid, Ransomed One, The curse undone. Timid heart, Scared of dirt, Grace-scarred hand, Eternal plan.

“For mercies countless as the sands…”

John Newton, the famous hymn writer and pastor, certainly knew how to reflect on his life. Never forgetting his former life as a slave trader, womaniser and general no-good, he always approached life with a grateful heart, forever marvelling at the “amazing grace” he had known in his later life. One birthday, towards the endContinue reading ““For mercies countless as the sands…””

Since setting minds on things above is hard

Since setting minds on things above is hard, The mind always diverting to the place Of greatest comfort, fearing open space; Since often thoughts break off in weary shards And off we go, empty, scanning the yard Of day’s vacuum confusions, seeking peace But scared to look directly at His face: Let’s look instead uponContinue reading “Since setting minds on things above is hard”

Ripped in two by self, desire (After Ann Griffiths’ “Since I am corruptly fallen”)

Another of 18th-century Welsh poet Ann Griffiths’ beautiful prayers is the powerful “Since I am corruptly fallen”, an expression both of the intensity of human sin and the glory of God’s grace. I’ve included the original poem, as translated by A.Z. Foreman, at the end of this post. In my own poem, I have triedContinue reading “Ripped in two by self, desire (After Ann Griffiths’ “Since I am corruptly fallen”)”

Song of the Pierced Veil (After Ann Griffiths’ “Hymn for the Mercy Seat”)

My poems based on the work of Welsh poet Ann Griffiths have been a bit slow in coming out this month, I’m afraid. It’s been a particularly busy time at work and in my studies, giving me many other things to occupy my time apart from writing poetry. But it’s time to catch up!  Continue reading “Song of the Pierced Veil (After Ann Griffiths’ “Hymn for the Mercy Seat”)”

Buried Above Ground (After William Cowper’s “Sapphics”)

I suspect that one of the darkest poems in the English language is William Cowper’s “Lines Written During a Period of Insanity”, or, as it is sometimes more tactfully called, “Sapphics”. Written after his first suicide attempt, the poem deals with the idea of eternal condemnation which was one of his greatest fears. In theContinue reading “Buried Above Ground (After William Cowper’s “Sapphics”)”