Word

A Month from Matthew – 19

And he saith unto them,

” Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”  4.19

[ “Catch & Release” Catch men out of the ditch of sin & release them into the River of Life! 🙂 ]

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Old poem/card

ANNOUNCED (19^th card)

He was announced to Mary

His mother for earthly mold

She knew He’d be special

For she had been foretold.

 

And He was announced to Joseph

Temporal man at family’s head

– Joseph married anyway –

His greatness is still read.

 

He was announced to herders,

‘Round campfires on Judah’s hills

Men know for their roughness –

Flesh, less frivolous frills.

 

Creatures from Glorious Yonder

Harmonized them on the wing.

Announcements were made in verse;

Song is a wondrous thing!

 

He was announced to wise ones,

Far across Near Eastern sand,

Twilight’s lavender shade;

A new star joined the band.

 

“It can mean but one thing” they said,

“A new head there is to crown.”

Camel, and prince, and his gift

Traversed waves sifty, brown.

 

Each old herald in manner,

Is thanked for his timely thought,

But from their time, to ours,

The news had to be brought.

 

Burlap-clad, unsung greats of yore

Told son’s sons, time on time.

Some traveled long, hard and late

In a worse, foreign clime

 

Decades passed the Word along;

Announcements were made to tribes,

Were made in chieftain’s huts

Via tokens and bribes,

 

Were made inside the palace gates,

Were made to craftsman and slave,

To the weak, growing weaker,

To brawny man, thought brave.

 

Until, O Joyous Hour

(After centuries of trust

It still was being told,

For telling it is a must)

 

Someone announced His birth to you –

To me, the story was clear.

Throughout this Christmas Season,

May their mem’ry be dear.  

– eab, Dec. ‘83

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“Be Ye Holy”

Holiness as a doctrine is Good.

Holiness as an initial experience is Better.

Holiness lived out in daily-life is Best.

– eab, 6/29/11

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SO ABLE

 

Born the King above everything,

A King, though in a stable;

Born so poor, beyond inn door,

So poor – – – and yet so able!  

– eab, 12/19/06

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Author of “Does Jesus Care” – born

ON THIS DATE

Frank E Graeff was born 12/19/1860 at Tamaqua, PA.  He was a Methodist minister (served churches in the Philadelphia Conference) who was known for his interest in children’s ministry and for his storytelling abilities.  He died 7/29/1919 at Ocean Grove, New Jersey. 

It is said that Graeff went through some dif­fi­cult tri­als.  (Christmas can be a very difficult time for some souls.)  The per­i­od be­fore writ­ing this song was one of de­spond­en­cy, doubt, and phys­ic­al pain. When he turned to God’s Word he found comfort in 1Pe 5.7. Af­ter med­i­ta­ting on that truth, Graeff wrote these lyri­cs, with the re­sound­ing af­firm­a­tion in the cho­rus, “O yes, He cares…”

 

Does Jesus care when my heart is pained Too deeply for mirth or song,

As the burdens press, and the cares distress And the way grows weary and long?

Refrain

Oh yes, He cares, I know He cares, His heart is touched with my grief;

When the days are weary, the long nights dreary, I know my Savior cares.

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