Jesus Knows Us
by Sue
Jesus knew Nathanael *
And He knows us too
He saw Nathanael, and
Knew all that he’d been through
Life was not a bed of roses
It had its ups and downs
He saw Nathanael from afar
When he sat upon the ground
The Lord has known us
Since before we were born
He chose our parents for us
And then He watched us form
He saw us cut our first tooth
Saw us make our childhood play
He watched us grow, he watched us and
He waited for that day
The Lord saw us through
Our tricky teenage years,
Having doubts and having fears
Knowing laughter - shedding tears
He knows us, oh so well
Like Nathanael, He came to tell
Adulthood and family life
Would bring us trouble, bring us strife
Then meeting husband, meeting wife
Bringing children into this life
But in it all, He chose our way
And hopes that we will never stray
The Lord sees into our soul
We have to make a choice
Before it’s too late - to follow
Let’s listen to His voice
God is totally in control
‘though Satan rules this Earth
But God created everything
And He has for us - new birth
Any doubts Nathanael had
Were taken by God’s love
When Jesus spoke the truth to him
He heard from God above
Will you come to Jesus?
He knows you inside out
Have sins forgiven - repent today
And forsake all trace of doubt
* see John 1:43-49
A Church Warden's Tale
by Sue
A Churchwarden had kept
the church clock working,
For more than fifty years.
He had seen people coming and going
Even to the passing of his peers.
Now he was over seventy
Passed his three score years and ten
He had been devoted to pursue
His church activities time and time again.
The clock meant so much to him
As it always kept good time
Nobody was late for services
For the bells always tolled
On the gentle chime!
But the churchwarden
Was old and grey now
And he was also very frail
But he always kept time for God
Even when other things prevailed!
He prayed for folks who came to church
And for his local community
Laying hands and praying
For those who were sick
When he got the opportunity.
A follower of Jesus
He never stopped praying
Even when sometimes he didn’t feel like it
His prayer life kept on flowing!
Now today would be the last one
For he was going home
Looking upward to the Heavenlies
Waiting for the Lord to come.
He shut his eyes, and slumped in the chair
His heart had given up the ghost
And in heaven he now appeared
Before the Son of God!
The clock of the church
Stopped working on that very day
He left a legacy to church family
They all came along to pray.
The clock had seen better days
And that day it died too
With money left from the churchwardens will
A new clock would be arriving soon.
A Word From God
by Sue
God will wipe your salty tears
And brush aside your hair
With His loving arms around you
He will show how much He cares
God says: I know your thoughts
And I know the anguished pain
And I know how all of this
Has reared its ugly head again.
Doubts have come in
And they have pulled you down
And now this broken heart
Is the reason why you frown
Time goes by and still,
You think of all the others
Especially those who are
Your sisters and your brothers
How you pray for them to follow me
The same way that you do
Be patient and wait,
“I want them too!”
Try and forget your unhappy past
For time is a great healer
Those thoughts won’t last forever
You are with your Great Redeemer!
Cast your cares on Jesus
For you know He cares for you
God’s precious Son, your Saviour
Has just spoken - to you!
The Silversmith
by Sue
We sometimes wonder why
A loving God will let us fail
And why we suffer in our lives
Let me relate this little tale
Thinking about our God
As a ‘purifier of silver’
A tutor took his students
To visit a maker of silver
So the group of students
To the Silversmith went, one day
And stood to watch the process
And the silver being made
And he explained that silver held
In the hottest part of the flame
Would melt it and purify
And burn impurities away
Afterwards the metal would be shaped
Into something beautiful
It would gleam in the sunlight
And become something useful
But if it wasn’t touched by flame
Now, pay close attention
It would not be purified but wasted
This, the silversmith thought he’d mention
Then a student did enquire
“How will I know its purification?”
“Oh, that’s easy, said the Silversmith
You must give it your close attention
“For it’s when the Silversmith can see
His image clearly reflected in it,
That the work is done, has accomplished His will
And has been worth every single minute."