For how many Sabbaths we waited and prayed
To see his redemption before us displayed
We yearned for his mercy, and begged Him with tears
To see the Messiah come now, in our years
For we have inherited unending hope
A promise passed down and confirmed by God’s oath
That to Abram’s children a Savior would come
One greater than David, yet called David’s son
Here out with the sheep God has placed in our care
His glory came down—caught our hearts unaware
We all were afraid, but the angels sent joy
In small Beit-Lechem had been born a small boy
The promised Messiah had finally come
God’s grace and perfection revealed in the Son
In awestruck delight we all hastened to go
And see what this was that the Master made known
And there was the baby, laid down in the trough
He lifted His voice, and we heard His first cough
We knew God was with us—that there was our King
The hope of millennia our eyes have seen
On a dark night outside Bethlehem, the silence was so deep,
All the shepherds stood beneath the sky just watching o’er their sheep.
When so suddenly appeared to them, with haloes ‘round their heads,
A multitude of angels, yes, and this is what they said,
“All you shepherds, no need to be afraid,
For a Savior is born unto you, in a manger is He laid!”
When they heard what next the angels said, it came as such a thrill,
“All glad tidings do we bring to you and all men of good will.
So just stop your shivering and listen to the tale we tell.
For today the Savior Child is born! His name’s Emmanuel!”
“All you shepherds, no need to be afraid,
For a Savior is born unto you, in a manger is He laid!”
So, the shepherds left the sheep right there, and they walked through the night
‘Til they came to a small stable sitting under starry light.
And they found the child lying there, just as the angels said
He was all wrapped in swaddling clothes, a manger for His bed.
“All you shepherds, no need to be afraid,
For a Savior is born unto you, in a manger is He laid!”
Although
it’s a hard row to hoe
a rough furrow to harrow
and a tough trench to plough
there’s many a meadow to mow
I hereby avow
and tho' it may be news to you
farmers have the need
to sow their seeds
where milkmaids milk the cows
swineherds feed their sows
and shepherds have their pie
and eat it too
in Slough now
The treasurer they called Judas,
In his folly and imprudence,
Sold his Master for silver’s stock;
The shepherd who betrayed the flock.
The fisherman they called Peter,
Tasked to build the Church and lead her,
To be her foundational rock;
The shepherd who cares for the flock.
The scholar widely known as Saul
Adopted the new name of Paul;
He saw the light on one long walk,
Repentant hunter of the flock.
Gambolling along as ewe do, happy and carefree.
Ewe’d do it all over again, in the greening esprit.
Gambolling in full wool, unaware of morrow’s snip.
Ewe see only what is in fashion, not the future clip.
Gambolling with the Shepherd’s crook, behaving baa-dly.
Ewe do you, follow the sheepish crowd gladly.
Gambolling off a cliff, unless the one snatched from danger.
Ewe were there, curious and excited alongside the manger.
Gambolling strides bring you beside still waters and rest.
Ewe’re after risen sun, a greener pasture where ewe are blest.
Humanity still struggles to comprehend
That all life on earth is for us to tend
We must cease our pillaging of this great land
Instead, care for all life as it was planned
We are the shepherds of the plane
Our destructive behaviour is beyond insane
There’s a reason we are the most evolved
Ain’t a problem for us that can’t be solved
Supremely created by our father above
Our little hearts are capable of so much love
Solely responsible for the earth’s almighty pain
We are the shepherds of the plane
A golden age is upon us; soon we’ll understand
Back to nature we are going; immense change is at hand
Our soul vibration will soon increase
As we stand on the precipice of wondrous peace
New forests will emerge, and greenery will flourish
A bountiful world to thrive and nourish
Water’s will sparkle once more for Mother Earth
A new beginning is at hand, a welcome rebirth
We are the shepherds of this great plane
The devil grips us no more; we’ve broken the chain
Freed from the shackles of our crippling fears
Together, we weep in a sea of glorious tears
Loss of faith as time goes by
Heard the call of God on high
Now the truth is chrystal clear
Lies as passed from year to year
Promises of streets of gold
Mansions there are bought and sold
Prophets prey on your desire
Trust their word or pits of fire
Purchase your future casket
Drop your coins in the basket
Selling myths to earn their keep
Holy shepherds fleece their sheep
I don't have a dog
Doesn't mean I don't like a dog
A friend has two
And from the way he walks them through
The Alsatians strut along the street
Black and tan, they look so sweet
The German breeds are more than pets
They saunter along like a branch of cadets
Beautiful souls
Sure of their patrols
Never nervous
And prompt to calls for service
The German shepherds
Are very good shepherds
With impulses leading to quests
They checkmate uninvited guests
The battle starts everyday
His itch will not go away
Scratch and scratch is all he does
I yell to stop from above
Itching and biting evermore
Skin covered in sores
Itching continuously grows
When it stops nobody knows
As I wish it to stop
Redness, allergies, and hot spots
Going, going, non-stop
Trying to reach the itch up top
Off to the vet we go
Hoping to keep the cost low
Shepherd curse is well known
Several test he will undergo
Finally, a pill that helps
Remove most the welts
Finally relief he finds
Giving him peace of mind
There is a picture in my mind
Of grazing sheep on a remote hillside
The shepherd is mindful of his flock
Guarding each of them with pride
His watchful eye then detects
One little lamb, - that strays away
Unaware of intimate danger
The consequence of being astray
He ventures into the underbrush
With a keen eye, and familiar voice
Only when it's safely back in the fold
Can He be content, and rejoice
Our Heavenly Father, gave a parable
To signify His ultimate love
How much more He cares for you
Than a sparrow, lamb or dove
The lamb knows the shepherds voice
There is a bond between the two
No stranger does it recognize
The Master's voice, is always true
Along our journey, wolves may howl
And threaten us throughout the night
The Shepard has promised us security
We are never, beyond His sight
Colan L Hiatt = 05-17-18
© All Rights Reserved
Stirring Dog Leader
Schnauzer
Rouser
Clothing shop for Schnauzers
Schnauzers’
Trousers
Internet for Schnauzers
Schnauzers’
Browsers
A German Spotted
Leopard
Shepherd
Aussie Attacked by Pepper Spray
Peppered
Shepherd
Aug. 23, 2022
For A BRIAN STRAND PREMIERE CHOICE Poetry Contest
What kind of star is it? The shepherd child asked his father.
His father stared at the anomoly for a long time.
Strangely, I feel it is a holy star, he told his son.
We need to remember and reflect on it.
Their sheep stopped bleating and began to deeply sleep.
Giving them time to meditate and ponder on the star.
Neither realizing that people would speak of it
Two thousand and twenty-one years later.
[Line one is an old schoolboy version of the first
Line of ‘While Shepherds’. I wrote the rest of verse
one based upon it, but was then astounded to
discover ‘my verse one’ word for word identical
online. As such, I must claim this poem as a
collaberation.]
While shepherds washed their socks by night
And hung them on the line
The Angel of the Lord came down
And said those socks are mine
Fear not he said though they be red
You washed them not with whites
Glad tidings of great joy I bring
They weren’t in with my tights
If you see David down this way
He’s bound to say this line
I’ll separate the colours, Lord
And things will turn out fine
O laundry maid did you not read
The instructions displayed
I must complain, look at this stain
Don’t think that you’ll be paid
My laundry sack produced forthwith
A purple, once-white thong
I also think that thong has shrunk
Can’t get the damned thing on
O God my thong it sure is high
How it hurt my cod-piece
Good grief I can’t wear it again
It slips right up my crease
The manger was empty and bare.
But that didn’t matter,
because Love would come there.
Joseph and Mary found it sufficient,
she being full with God’s own son.
Thus in that night came Love omniscient.
An angel told shepherds of the birth.
They journeyed in joy to the place
and saw that Love had come to earth.
Wise men came led by a star’s holy light.
They brought gifts, worshipped the babe,
and knew that Love was in their sight.
Thus the prophecies of centuries long past
were fulfilled in some stranger’s manger,
and Love. . .Love came to earth at last.
To certain shepherds under the sky
an angel of the Lord spoke from on high
“Do not be afraid.
In a manger displayed
is the babe that God is to magnify.”
“To Bethlehem we must go and view
this babe with Mary and Joseph too.”
So the shepherds arrived
and to them described
that as the Messiah his time was due.
Departing they told of all they had found
to those who had come from places around
There was wonder and joy
at the news of this boy,
while Mary treasured the words profound.
Luke 2.8-20
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