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FRIENDSHIP
CHURCH
REVISITED
1996
Prologue...
In a
country
church in
'49,
a young
girl knelt
to pray.
She wanted
God to
save her
soul,
but knew
not what
to say.
The
preacher,
wise and
sent by
God,
inside his
pocket
felt
and gave
to her a
shiny
coin,
then
beside the
girl he
knelt.
"God's
love is
like that
coin,"
he said,
"it's
free and
yours to
keep.
Confess
your sins;
He will
forgive,
then
you'll
become His
sheep.
"God sent
His son to
die for
you,
you've
only to
accept;
His blood
will wash
away your
sins,"
and the
young girl
wept.
Forgive my
sins, dear
Lord, I
prayed,
I want to
live Your
way,
and
softly, at
the
noontide,
God saved
my soul
that day. |
Today
I visit once again
this childhood
church of mine.
I come alone to
reminisce
about a gentler
time.
The church
itself's almost
the same,
with minor changes
seen --
new curtains on
the windows,
instead of blue
they're green.
New hymnals
decorate the
racks;
there's carpet on
the floor,
and modern times
necessitate
the lock upon the
door.
The wooden pews
are still in
place;
attendance
record's on
display,
with stars beside
the country kids
who haven't missed
a day.
I read the names
through misty eyes
as I go back in
time
to see my mom's
and daddy's names
and view the stars
by mine.
Then suddenly I
hear the hymns
we sang away back
then,
about the Christ,
the Son of God
who takes away our
sin.
And from the
pulpit I can hear
the preacher, with
a smile,
invite us sinners,
one and all,
to walk that
country aisle.
Before
I left my country
church
I knelt again in
prayer,
just like I did in
'49
when Mom and Dad
were there.
Dear Lord, I said,
forgive my sins,
for often I have
strayed;
I left Your side
so many times,
but Lord, You
always stayed.
You never turned
Your back on me;
Lord, this I truly
know,
not since the day
You came to me
o'er forty years
ago.
Now I just want to
thank You, God,
for saving me that
day,
so softly, at the
noontide,
when You washed my
sins away.
~Copyright © 1996
Ruth Gillis~
"Friendship
Church Revisited
1996"
received
a Second Place
Award in the
June 1996 issue of
The
Inspirational Poet.
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