Bethlehem

Bethlehem
By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

Did you know, Oh ancient city,
That Rachel died within your bounds,
But her Joseph became the deliverer of his people?

Did you know, Oh ancient city,
That lovely Ruth gleaned the wheat for bread
And with righteous Boaz gave birth in generations
To the Bread of Life?

Did you know, Oh ancient city,
That David shepherded  your lambs
And fathered the Lamb of God?
That he wore the crown
And fathered the King of Kings?

Bethlehem, Oh Bethlehem,
House of the Bread of God,
We call forth the warrior angels on your behalf.
We call forth the host of heaven 
To bring peace within your gates.

Deck the House

Deck the House

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

We toured the town to celebrate Christmas with those

 who play one-up-manship with outdoor decorations.

A Cornhusker fan displays a gigantic red "N".

Near the corner, Santa kneels before a manger

on which the baby Jesus rests with a light bulb in His head.

The Johnson's ceramic yard dog wears antlers and a red nose.

The Methodists have a recalcitrant llama in their living nativity.

The neighbors experience brown-out

whenever Eilene throws the switches to illumine

the Holy Family in Santa's workshop.

The folks on the hill have a Christmas tree

    protruding crookedly through their sky-light.

And Santa's hoisting a beer stein.

Happy Birthday, Jesus.

My Friend

My Friend

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

You're my friend.

You held my hand

And conquered your anguish

To dry my tears for your pain

And my fear

Of me without you.

A Walk in Autumn

A Walk in Autumn

by

Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

Blue skies, darkening,

Sunset clouds, trailing vermillion,

Brisk breeze,

Mellowing grasslands, still soft underfoot,

Coloring trees silhouetted in the dusk.

Seasons turn,

Only He changes not.

Autumn

Autumn

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

Crisp morning breath

Softening in the noontide,

Deepening with the day,

Redolent in the cinnamon

Of fallen leaves and burning wood.

Fields, once green, then golden,

Now newly frosted,

Gleam in russet-bronze.

The earth's returned the harvest

And seeks repose.

We, too, desire respite.

Autumn, amber, umber, Autumn,

Golden, flaxen, honey-hued.

Multitudinous tones

Of withered grass, ruddy leaf

And tranquil turf.

O Lord, our God,

Our Creator, our Sustainer,

In Autumn, we worship Thee.

The harvester surveying fallow fields

Lifts his heart in psalm

For laden cribs and fattened flocks.

The housewife, pausing near the shelf

And fragrant larder,

Sings her sacred song.

Young ones, basking in the fiery glow,

Harken to the swirl and plash of storm

And, mindfully, remember Thee.

O Lord, our God,

We worship Thee.

In Autumn, we worship Thee.

Summer Night

Summer Night

by 

Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

Crystalline summer night

Extolling in fortissimo

His radiance and His grace.

The darkened canopy shimmering,

Twinkling, iridescent--

A stellar symphony of exaltation.

Glittering galaxies streaming their courses

Conducted by Jehovah, God, I Am,

Light

And creator of light.

Celestial jewels,

Reflections of His luminescence;

The vast glistening glory

But a shadow of His grace.

Heaven carols His praise:

Hallelujah!

Hallelujah to the Light!

As an Eagle

As an Eagle

by

Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

Driving swiftly down the highway

In the heat of middle summer,

I saw him in the distance

And slowed to view him as I passed.

A golden eagle

Holding dominion over the

Wind-swept Wyoming plain.

Regal, majestic, powerful--

The feathered sovereign

Of tor and tableland.

The words of the prophet

Sang in my heart--

"They that wait upon the Lord

Shall renew their strength,

They shall mount up with wings

As Eagles."

Oh, Lord, may I wait upon You,

That You might renew my strength

To mount up with golden-eagle-wings

To overcome the world.

Summer

Summer

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

 

Ah, Summer--

Sultry,

Steamy, Stifling

Summer.

 

I much prefer the spring,

     the autumn,

Even the chill of winter.

 

But, now it's summer--

Sweltering summer.

 

Then in the midst of my lethargy:

 

But--

 

"In all things be ye thankful."

 

And I reconsider Summer,

 

Full-blown blossoms--

Warbling birds, from predawn to dusk--

The laughter of children

Splashing in the nearby pond--

The chirping of crickets--

Picnics in the meadows

Clothed in buttercups--

Families gathering--

Star-studded skies--

Thunder's cacophony--

Lightning's spectacle--

Rain's soothing patter--

 

Grandma, smiling as the sun assuages

Arthritis' throb--

The promising abundance of harvest.

 

And

 

I praise Thee

 

For Summer--

Sultry

Steamy

Stifling

Blessed

Summer.

                                                                 

Flutter By

Flutter By

By 

Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

Flutter by,

Butterfly,

Freely adrift on summery breeze,

Crysalis forgotten,

Flirting and darting

From daisy to phlox.

Flutter by,

Butterfly,

Metamorphizing my soul:

Until

Freed from cocoon,

My resurrected spirit aflutter,

Takes wing to soar

Adorned in re-creation.

Pools and Ponds

Pools and Ponds

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

During early spring they appear

In meadows and fields,

Those pools and ponds of icy water

Fed from thawing winter.

Fringed in frost,

Limpid, tranquil

Harboring expectation,

Fostering tomorrow.

Life

Life

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

Winter's snows retreat

Forced back by Spring's showers.

Dormant earth, somberly arrayed,

Soon will don delicate first-greens.

Peering through the matted thatch,

Entwining the slender spears of last year's growth,

A tender shoot,

Sprouting from the bleak and browned earth

Comes forth--

Life.

Israel, barren,

Bereft of the Spirit whom long they had grieved--

Yet a rod came forth from the stem of Jesse

A root from the dry ground--

Life eternal.

 

Wind Time

Wind Time
By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

Gusty westerlies of March,
Icy with the last
Of Winter's chill.

Brisk breath of April,
Mingled with the downy flakes
Of Spring's hesitation.

Gentle zephyrs of May
Dappled with daffodils.

Wine--Pure, pristine
Breath of God.

Snow Fall

Snow Fall
by 
Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

The snow fell like a benediction,
A quiet blessing drifting in the flashing neon.
We grown-ups went out to wipe the whitness from the windows
And rev-up the engines in the night.

We flung the snow from our brushes at one another
And laughed as the cold slipped inside our boots and mittens.
Then Richard threw a snowball and the war commenced
And frosted our evening clothes and glistening jewelry.
The policeman drove by, chuckled and waved.

Then, sedately, with reddened noses
And remnants of flakes in our lashes,
We piled into our warmed vehicles
And broke the trails toward home.

The Sparrow's Song

The Sparrow's Song

by

Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

 

The world is vast, and I'm so feeble,

Harsh, and I'm so frail,

But, Lord God, when You lift me up

I soar among the clouds.

The winter's bitter; the branches bare,

Yet I nestle warmly in Your heart

And wear the downy robe

That You've prepared for me.

When the flaxen fields lie fallow,

And the grasses crumble in the frost,

From the heavenly table,

Your right hand nurtures me.

Jehovah God, El Shaddai,

Creator of the cosmos,

Commander of the galaxies,

Enthroned above the sky,

Jehovah God, El Shaddai,

You know when the lowly sparrow falls!

And You lift my soul to sing.

Storm

Storm
By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

Wildly assailing,

Twisting, crackling brittle limbs,

The sleet-frenzy batters

My tumult of soul.

Scurry and rush assaulting,

Cold-life-frenzies pummel and bludgeon.

Ah,

Then softly, softly,

Through the tempest,

"Come, come unto me,

I'll give you My rest."

The storm without infuriates,

Raging more savage and chill,

But my souls rests in

His peace

Secure in His will.

Winter Celebration

Winter Celebration
By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

Through drifted snow,
Dazzling diamonds
In the brilliant sun.

Beneath the pristine sky,
Bits of tawny tuft
Peer through the wind-swept paths.

With vaporous breath preceding,
We trudge on top and through
The wintry crust.

The crunch of boot 
And breaking drift.

Serene,
Solemn,
Silent--

But for only a moment--

Then the flurry of
Mittens and mukluks,
Fox and Geese, 
Sleds and snowmen.