Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets,
he [Jesus] explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures
concerning himself (Luke 24:27; NIV).
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end
(Revelation 21:6; NET).
1. I wish I could walk with you, Lord,
In the cool evening breeze,
2. Then talk with you over a meal,
As we sit at our ease.
3. I wish I could follow your passion,
And stay, Lord, to weep,
4. Then cling to your cold, lifeless hands, Lord,
And kiss your poor feet.
5. I wish I could meet you, then watch
As you break bread, and share,
6. Then gaze on your face, Lord, astonished,
And join you in prayer.
7. I wish I could see your ascension,
And hail your return,
8. Then witness your Kingdom on earth –
But, instead, I must yearn.
References
1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God(John 1:1; NIV).
When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden (Genesis 3:8; NLT).
2. One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to have dinner with him, so Jesus went to his home and sat down to eat (Luke 7:36; NLT).
3. As they led Jesus away, a man named Simon, who was from Cyrene, happened to be coming in from the countryside. The soldiers seized him and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. A large crowd trailed behind, including many grief-stricken women (Luke 23:26; NLT).
Jesus’ friends, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching (Luke 23:49; NLT).
4. He took the body down from the cross and wrapped it in a long sheet of linen cloth and laid it in a new tomb that had been carved out of rock […] As his body was taken away, the women of Galilee followed and saw the tomb where his body was placed (Luke 23:53,55; NLT).
5. By this time they were nearing Emmaus and the end of their journey. Jesus acted as if he were going on, but they begged him, “Stay the night with us, since it is getting late.” So he went home with them. As they sat down to eat, he took the bread and blessed it. Then he broke it and gave it to them…
6. …Suddenly, their eyes were opened, and they recognised him (Luke 24:28-31; NLT).
7. When the Lord Jesus had finished talking with them, he was taken up into heaven and sat down in the place of honour at God’s right hand (Mark 16:19; NLT).
You, too, must keep watch! For you do not know the day or hour of my return (Matthew 25:13; NLT).
8. Just as my Father has granted me a Kingdom, I now grant you the right to eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom (Luke 22:29-30; NLT).
Then I heard a loud voice shouting across the heavens, “It has come at last – salvation and power and the Kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ” (Revelation 12:10; NLT).
I yearn for the Lord, more than watchmen do for the morning (Psalm 130:6; NET).
At last, the people will look to their Creator
(Isaiah 17:7; NLT).
1. Bear all God sends
Until life ends,
For when we sigh,
He hears our cry.
2. And though each soul
Has missed its goal,
Our heavenly King
Still waits within.
3. So, face the past,
Then say, at last: Your kingdom come; Your will be done.
4. God shares our woes;
His mercy flows:
He will forgive;
Then we will live!
References
1. My sickness is incurable, but I must bear it (Jeremiah 10:19; NLT).
Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble? (Job 2:10; NIV).
While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh (2 Corinthians 5:4; NLT).
He hears their cries for help (Psalm 145:19; NLT).
2. Everyone has sinned; we all fall far short of God’s glorious standard (Romans 3:23; NLT).
The Lord must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion (Isaiah 30:18; NLT).
The kingdom of God is within you (Luke 17:21; KJV).
3. When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone (Psalm 32:5; NLT).
At last they will know and understand that I am the Lord (Jeremiah 16:21; NLT).
Your kingdom come, your will be done (Matthew 6:9-10; NIV).
4. In all their suffering he also suffered (Isaiah 63:9; NLT).
In his love and mercy he redeemed them (Isaiah 63:9; NLT).
He forgives all my sins (Psalm 103:2; NLT).
I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (John 10:10; NLT).
When our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die,
this Scripture will be fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory”
(1 Corinthians 15:54-5; NLT).
1. Death isn’t a disaster:
It’s the final trip we make
When our exile here is done,
The road that all must take.
2. Death isn’t a disaster,
For it brings us back to God
Along the way that all must walk:
The path that Jesus trod.
3. Death isn’t a disaster;
Whether life is short or long
It brings us to his Kingdom,
Where the weak will be made strong.
4. Death isn’t a disaster;
When our pilgrimage is through,
It brings us to eternal life:
United, Lord, with you.
References
1. I am your guest – a traveller passing through, as my ancestors were before me (Psalm 39:12; NLT).
2. He [Jesus] humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross (Philippians 2:8; NLT).
3. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever (Revelation 21:4; NLT).
4. The dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it (Ecclesiastes 12:7; NIV).
1. You’re shelter for the homeless, Lord,
And freedom for the jailed;
A banquet for the hungry,
And redemption for the failed.
2. You’re clothing for the naked, Lord,
And vision for the blind;
A welcome for the stranger,
And a friend for the maligned.
3. You’re rescue for the victim, Lord,
And power for the weak;
Fresh courage for the fearful,
And a refuge for the meek.
4. You’re water for the thirsty, Lord,
And ransom for the slave;
God’s healing for the stricken,
And the first-fruits of the grave.
5. We’re servants of your kingdom, Lord,
Our task: to grow like you,
By treating everyone with love
In all we say and do.
References
1-4. This is the kind of fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people. Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help (Isaiah 58:6-7; NLT).
5. [Grow] in every way more and more like Christ (Ephesians 4:15; NLT).
Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ (Ephesians 5:2; NLT).
Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them (Romans 12:9; NLT)
“Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?”He will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me” (Matthew 25:44-45; NIV).
Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows
(John 16:33; NLT).
1. Let’s wake from the the nightmare
Of childhood,
And think of the mountains
We’ve crossed.
2. Let’s cast off the hell
Of our parents,
And rise above all
We have lost.
3. Let’s wake in the light
Of God’s kingdom
To think of his Son,
And forgive.
4. Let’s cast off depression
And darkness,
And rise in his strength –
Then we’ll live!
Image: nonmisvegliate, Pixabay
References
1. Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you (Ephesians 5:14; NIV).
The gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult (Matthew 7:14; NLT).
Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me (Psalm 23:4; NLT).
2. Banish anxiety from you heart and and cast off the troubles of your body (Ecclesiastes 11:10; NIV).
The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised (Job 1:21; NIV).
3. [Give] joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light (Colossians 1:12; NIV).
If you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you (Matthew 6:14; NIV).
4. Those who wait for the Lord’s help find renewed strength; they rise up as if they had eagles’ wings, they run without growing weary, they walk without getting tired (Isaiah 40:31; NET).
I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (John 10:10; NLT).
