"The Lamb Thread"

 A brand new poem for you...

Image credit: harvestministry.com

THE LAMB THREAD

Inspired by the April 2, 2021 message

delivered by Messianic Rabbi Jonathan Cahn

at Beth Israel Worship Center, Wayne, NJ.

 

Rabbi Jonathan delivers

his Good Friday message

with passion that is contagious

and just happens to be

about my favorite thread

in Scripture…the Lamb

 

He begins in Genesis 22

where lamb and love

are mentioned for the first time

It’s the mind-blowing chapter

when God put Abraham to the test

by telling him to sacrifice his only son

whom he loved, as a burnt offering

on Mount Moriah

 

so Abraham bound Isaac

and obediently raised

the glinting blade above the boy

but was stopped by the angel of the Lord

 

God provided

a substitute sacrifice that day

a ram—

 

Abraham named that place

Jehovah Jireh, God will provide

and in the fullness of time

God does provide a Lamb

on that very same mountain

 

I follow my rabbi’s thread

to Exodus 12, the Passover

as the Lord brought His people

out of bondage in Egypt

and saved them by the blood of the lamb

 

then listen as he speaks of sacrifices

in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers

and the cleansing blood sprinkled

upon the mercy seat by the high priest

every year, on the Day of Atonement

 

The mystery continues to unravel

in Isaiah 53 with the astonishing foretelling

of the sacrifice of the Suffering Servant

 

Who was…pierced through for our transgressions

Who was crushed for our iniquities…

 

Who…Like a lamb that is led to the slaughter

and like a sheep that is silent

before its shearers…He did not open His mouth

 

The thread weaves its way to Daniel 9

the mystery of the Seventy Weeks

and the coming of Messiah

Who would be cut off/Crucified

 

I follow along, eagerly

flipping through pages of the Gospels

and listen afresh as John the Baptist proclaims

 

Behold the Lamb of God

Who takes away the sin of the world

 

remembering, the place, in the land of Moriah

where Abraham nearly sacrificed his son

is the very same location

as the Place of the Skull, Golgotha

where the Lamb God provided

was Crucified and died

 

Enthusiasm rises in Rabbi’s voice

and in my heart as he nears the end

of the thread that runs so true

without any loose ends

all throughout the Scriptures

 

He sums up his message

in the Book of Revelation

as the voice of many angels proclaim

 

Worthy is the Lamb that was slain

to receive power and riches and wisdom

and might and honor and glory and blessing

 

where resplendently jeweled

the New Jerusalem comes down out of Heaven

shining with the glory of God

 

where God Almighty and the Lamb

are its temple and the lamp is the Lamb

 

Hallelujah! Praise God Almighty—

 

God provided His Glorious Lamb…for us!

 

Maude Carolan Pych

Available Online...

"Behold the Lamb...poetically!" by Maude Carolan Pych

is available online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

www.maudecarolanpych.net

Emmaus Road Memory

 

Photo credit: 123rf.com

SUNFLOWERS ALONG EMMAUS ROAD

Israel Pilgrimage—1986

 

A field of big, bodacious sunflowers

seem to be a great cathedral choir

singing the Hallelujah Chorus

with exultation

while sun-shining millions

of dazzling petal spires upon us

along Emmaus Road

 

It is fitting

because I am ablaze

with Jesus-joy

to be here

 

as I think about my newly

Resurrected Lord, vanishing

at the very breaking

of the bread

 

astonishing the disciples

who sat with Him

at table

 

Those utterly bewildered disciples

whose hearts thumped

and blazed

with glory fire

as He walked with them

as He explained to them

the Holy Scriptures

 

2000 years ago

somewhere

along this very road

 

Maude Carolan Pych

Maude Carolan Pych

Here I am with a copy of my book, "Behold the Lamb...poetically!" published by Elm Hill Press. The book contains 95 inspirational poems written over a period of thirty years about the Birth, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus. You can purchase the book online at Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com. For more information, visit my website at www.maudecarolanpych.net.

Emmaus Road Reflections

Rest in Peace, Dear Laura...

 

Laura Boss, award-winning poet and author, my poetry mentor, encourager, and wonderfully kind-hearted human being, passed from this life on Friday. I've participated in numerous poetry workshops led by Laura over many years. She's had a profound influence on my poetry and I will miss her as long as I live.

 ALONG EMMAUS ROAD

Luke 24 & Isaiah 53 NASB

 

I’m sitting in the kitchen

with my Bible open

reading about the men

who were walking to Emmaus

the Sunday following the Crucifixion

 

thinking how bewildered they were

and dismayed that the one

they supposed was their savior was gone—

He died upon that Cross on Friday

leaving their hopes completely dashed

 

and I’m thinking about Jesus

joining them on their journey

as a complete stranger

bringing the hope of the Gospel

as He explained about Himself in the Tanakh

without revealing that they were actually walking

the seven miles to Emmaus

with their newly Resurrected Lord

 

I flip through the pages

and see Jesus handwritten in the margins

of the Old Testament, over and over

wherever I’ve discovered Him anew

and recall each exciting revelation

 

and imagine their amazement

as they listened to Jesus

revealing Himself as He spoke

about Moses and the Prophets

particularly when He came to the part

about the Suffering Servant in Isaiah 53

How exciting it had to have been to hear it

from the lips of the Suffering Servant, Himself—

 

Despised and forsaken

a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief

smitten of God and afflicted

pierced for our transgressions

crushed for our iniquities

by whose scourging we were healed

 

Who like a lamb was led to the slaughter

Who like a sheep, was silent before its shearers

 

assigned a grave with wicked men

but was with a rich man in death

 

He rendered Himself as a guilt offering

and God would prolong His days

 

Jesus…Jesus…Jesus

 

I visualize the men

clutching their burning hearts

 

When they reached their destination

they invited the stranger to stay with them

because the hour was late

 

and as they gathered around a table

to partake of an evening meal

Jesus lifted a loaf to bless—

 

Suddenly their eyes beheld

His nail-pierced hands!

 

and as He broke their humble bread

they recognized Him

 

In that instant Jesus vanished!

 

but the words He spoke

along the road that day

were permanently seared

upon their hearts

 

so they rose from the table

and hurried off that very hour

all the way back to Jerusalem, in the dark

to tell the disciples of all the wonders

that happened that remarkable day

 

Maude Carolan Pych

 

Along the Road to Emmaus

 After a festive and joyful Easter Sunday, Jesus' Resurrection is still on my mind. I have another poem to share, serendipitously, about Our Lord making an appearance to a couple of men as they walked along the road to Emmaus...

Image credit: gregolsen.com

THE EMMAUS TRIPTYCH

Luke 24:13-35

 

I. THE UNNAMED FRIEND

 

Cleopas and friend walked and talked

with lumbering gaits and downcast faces

shining hopes of sweet redemption

dashed and obliterated

 

They asked of each other the Why question

for if anyone had come to fill those old prophecies

surely it had seemed to be Him

that Jesus they'd come to know

through signs and wonders

that appeared to be miraculous

 

Their so-called Messiah had been crucified

was dead and gone. Yes, gone, gone, gone!

Even His cold dead body was missing

from the tomb that had been sealed—

 

He approached them

in the midst of their perplexity

on the road to Emmaus

He walked with them, talked with them

they even felt His fire

but didn't know who He was

 

and strange as that may seem

how often have I been

the unnamed friend of Cleopas?

I, too, profess to know Him, know Him well

yet fail to recognize Him along the road

 

II. THE STRANGER

 

Taking the barley loaf in his hands

the stranger lifted it

 

Baruch ata Adonai

Eloheynu Melech ha Olam

ha motzie lechem

min ha'aretz

 

He tore it, offered it, and just as it fell

into reaching grasps

their astonished eyes recognized Him

and in that instant

He utterly vanished from their sight!

 

Leaping from the table, Cleopas and his friend

stumbled over each other

looking under, over, around, and around

knowing even as they did

it was True after all

 

As they looked at each other

their disbelief became relief

the sweet awakening of a deep Belief

 

for Truth visited them along the way

joined them at their table, broke their humble bread

They asked each other

 

Were not our hearts burning

as He talked with us on the road

and opened the Scriptures to us?

 

Now, blazing temples of Holy Fire

they suddenly knew their once shattered hearts

would never cool again

 

III. MY EMMAUS

 

When I first found You, or You found me

I thought I'd go from strength to strength

pinnacle to pinnacle, joy to joy

and so it was for a season

when love was new

 

then the whirlwind came

thrashing through my world

upending all my securities

leaving me stunned, broken, alone

certain I would die

 

so I waited for You to save me

waited for prayers pleaded at Your scarred feet

to avail their just reward

for I believed in You, trusted, hoped

Eyes veiled, I couldn't find You

failed to recognize You along the road

 

Had I believed in vain?

 

Then You began to speak

not audibly, but  whenever I opened Your Word

Radiance, Glory, Unfailing Love

sprang from the page and became manifest

My heart blazed! I began to shine!

 

Now, on the other side of sorrow

I dare not forget my burning heart,

Your Glorious Presence

so I abide, remembering

it is You, my Jesus

Who walks with me along the road

 

Maude Carolan

"Behold the Lamb...poetically!"

by Maude Carolan Pych

is available online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

www.maudecarolanpych.net

Happy Resurrection Day!

 A-Poem-a-Day

Until Resurrection Day...

He is Risen!...Alleluia!!!

Here is a brand new poem for Easter, 2021:

"Mary Magdalene" by J. Kirk Richards

ldsliving.com

AT THE EMPTY TOMB

Holy Land Pilgrimage, 2006

 

Vivid recollections swirl through my mind

as I recall sitting on a bench

gazing across the garden

at the open tomb

the great rolling stone

off to the side

 

I’d been there before

so because we were a large

band of pilgrims and because

it was our final day

and we had a flight to catch

those who had been inside

the empty tomb

were asked to wait

meditatively, outside

 

As I waited, I thought

about the significance

of that holy place

 

thought of Joseph of Arimathea

offering His new rock-hewn tomb

for the burial, and Nicodemus

bringing a hundred pounds

of myrrh and aloes to anoint

the Crucified Body

 

thought of the Pharisees

imploring Pilate to secure the grave

so the Body couldn’t be stolen

therefore the tomb was sealed

and guards placed there overnight

 

Thought of Mary Magdalene

finding the tomb open the next morning

and being startled by an angelic appearance

but Jesus’ Body wasn’t there

and I envisioned her running to the disciples

then Peter and John racing

to the tomb, to see for themselves

if what Mary told them

was true

 

and of Jesus, meanwhile

appearing to two disciples

along the Road to Emmaus

of Him explaining

the Scriptures to them

as their enlightened hearts

burned with holy fire

 

and of course, I thought

of Mary returning to the tomb

and Jesus appearing to her

gloriously resurrected—

 

and later that same evening

appearing to His disciples

behind closed doors

revealing the wounds

in His hands, His feet, His side

 

The empty Garden Tomb—

 

without a doubt

the most astonishing place on earth

 

Maude Carolan Pych

Note: I just received notification that my poem, "I'm Shrinking!" has won an Editor's Choice award in the 2021 Allen Ginsberg Poetry Contest. There will be an awards ceremony and reading in February and the poem will be included in an upcoming edition of the Paterson Literary Review.

"Behold the Lamb...poetically!"

by Maude Carolan Pych

is available online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

www.maudecarolanpych.net

Meet Mary of Magdala...

A-Poem-a-Day

lphUntil Resurrection Day...

Image credit: christophercrandolph.wordpress.com

MARY OF MAGDALA

 

Mary of Magdala was privileged—

Like the disciples, she was among the few

who spent time with Jesus, followed Him

considered Him Teacher and Friend

She called Him, Rabboni

 

Mary had lived in darkness with demons

Jesus rid her of their terror

drew her into the Light

and she was grateful

She and the brethren experienced

the wonder of unconditional love

from He, Who personified it, perfectly

 

No doubt Mary was there

when Jesus spoke of things

the multitudes yearned to know

like living the beatitudes

like eternity, death, and resurrection

like the prophetic sign of Jonah

 

Still, neither she nor the disciples

had a clear understanding

of cosmic events that were about to unfold

 

Then suddenly everything whirled

out of their control

Palm branch homage

hosannas and hallelujahs

quickly turned to betrayal

abduction and a mockery of a trial

 

There were thunderous shouts of

 

Crucify Him! Crucify Him!

 

It was no longer safe

on the streets of Jerusalem

for His followers. They became fearful

Some went into hiding

 

Then, Jesus was Crucified—

 

The earth quaked

and the sky went dark

 

Mary rent her garments and wailed

Full of sorrow, what could she do

except go early the day after the Sabbath

to anoint His dead body

 

but when she arrived at the tomb

It was empty and His body was gone

Angels were there—

resplendent angels, who spoke of resurrection

 

Mary was weeping, utterly bewildered

She couldn’t grasp resurrection—

All she could wonder was

Where was her teacher’s body?

Who took His body away?

 

Suddenly, Rabboni appeared to her

He called her, tenderly by name, but

she couldn’t comprehend

that Him standing there, speaking to her

could possibly be true—

He was dead. Wasn’t He?

 

Mary was struggling to fathom

that the greatest knowledge

ever to befall anyone, anytime, anywhere

befell upon her at that amazing moment

 

This wasn’t a time for weeping—

This was time for rejoicing!

 

She extended her hand to touch Him—

He was Alive! Breathing!

Warm! With flesh and bones—

Indeed, He had risen from the grave!

 

Jesus told her to tell His disciples

so Mary quickly hurried off, proclaiming

 

I have seen the Lord!

 

Oh! It was starting to sink in—

 

The sin of the world was atoned for

by Jesus’ death on the Cross

and by His glorious Resurrection

He became the Firstfruit

of Life Forevermore!

 

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Maude Carolan Pych

Here I am, at Barnes & Noble, Woodland Park, NJ,

happily holding a copy of my book,

"Behold the Lamb...poetically!"

For information about how to get your own copy

go to: www.maudecarolanpych.net.
 

"The Pieta"

 A-Poem-a-Day

Until Resurrection Day...

Image credit: excerptsofinri.com

THE PIETA

 

After the earthquake

the peals of thunder

the flashes of lightning across the sky

After the curious crowds dispersed

Mary sat in ominous dimness

upon a mound of earth

at the base of the Cross

clutching the body

of her Son

 

She cradled Him

in the hollow of her lap

close to her bosom

as she had

when he was

her baby boy

 

Mary removed

thorns of mockery

that encircled His forehead

and tossed it to the side

Straining to see in the shadows

she carefully picked

fragments of thorn needles

still stuck in His lifeless flesh

although they couldn’t hurt Him

any longer

 

With her fingertips

she tenderly closed the lids

over His dark, vacant eyes

and smoothed

the disheveled, matted hair

…then she kissed Him

 

O, my beautiful Son…

 

Tears flowed

down her face onto His cheeks

mingling with dried blood

With the edge of her garment

she wiped some blood away

 

John came

and rested his hand

upon her trembling shoulder

He was now her son

She was now his mother

 

Mysteries

too deep to comprehend

swirled in her mind

like the flap and flutter

of wings and overshadowing

Son of the Most High

and David’s throne

 

like pregnant Elizabeth’s joy

when the baby leapt in her womb

and the Baptizer himself, when grown

proclaiming his younger cousin

“The Lamb of God, Who

takes away the sin of the world”

 

and Simeon’s prophesy

that Jesus would be

a Light of revelation

to the Gentiles and the glory

of the people of Israel

 

Where is the Light?

Where is the glory?

Where is the throne?

 

Overwhelmed by sorrow

so intense it stabbed her

deep, deep in her inner parts

Mary cried out in anguish

and rent her robe

 

Was this what old Simeon meant

long ago in the Temple

when he held Jesus in his arms

and said a sword would pierce

my very soul?

 

O my Son, my beautiful Son…

 

I cannot fathom the ways of God, but

 

I do know this cannot be the end

 

Maude Carolan Pych

Would you like to read more poems

about the Birth, Death & Resurrection of Jesus,

at Eastertime, Christmastime, anytime?

"Behold the Lamb...poetically!"

by Maude Carolan Pych

is available online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

www.maudecarolanpych.net

Death & Resurrection

 A-Poem-a-Day

Until Resurrection Day...

Golgotha

Image credit: tripadviser.co.za

THE PLACE OF THE SKULL[1]

“O death, where is your sting?” 1 Cor 15:55

 

Israel Pilgrimage—1987

 

We gather at the base

of a mountainous rock

into which time has carved

the natural image of a human skull

…hence, its chilling name:

Place of the Skull

 

Above this mound lies Golgotha

where on the most significant day

in the history of the world

Jesus of Nazareth was crucified

between two thieves

 

I stare into the hollow eyes

of this ominous image

and am reminded of Ezekiel

and the dry bones

 

bones that took on flesh

and blood and breath

and came to life

before his very eyes

 

Life.

 

Life is what happens at Golgotha

 

Life that is victorious

over the skull and bones. Victorious

over the ominous face of death

 

Life. Everlasting life—

for all atoned of sin

 

who believe

 

Maude Carolan Pych

---

[1] There are two locations worthy of serious consideration as the place of Jesus’ crucifixion and burial, the traditional site lies within the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the other is Gordon’s Calvary (Golgotha/The Place of the Skull) and the Garden Tomb. Ref. Grace Communion International

"Behold the Lamb...poetically!"

by Maude Carolan Pych

is available online

at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

www.maudecarolanpych.net