“I AM JOHN”

I bear no malice,

I bring no judgment;

I bring peace!

The peace of Christ’s love!

The words I have written,

By him, they were spoken;

Thoughts, crystal and clear,

Expressed that God was near.

My brethren and I were bound,

From the day our spirit’s found,

The Truth presented in those words,

That carefully came from the lips of our Lord.

The call made on that day,

Has been frequent and has lay,

The invitation to come awake,

To open our eye and soul for our own sake.

The patience that extended to us,

A caring hand given from above,

The heart within that breast so warm,

The staff of support so firm.

Our pain and anguish have been taken away,

By the touch of sacrifice lived each day,

By the beauty of the gift,

Of life’s triumph over death.

The body itself falls to decay,

But the spirit released finds its way,

To the harbour free of sinfulness,

Where the vessel is filled with fullness.

We have been given a chance to attain,

The gift of a kingdom free of pain,

Where our work may be enriched,

With a purpose so privileged.

“I am John!”

My soul awakened long ago;

But the path I should follow,

I did not know!

My mind was in turmoil,

Until I met the man,

Who reached out just once,

And gave me this command...

“Come follow me!”

My journey of friendship began;

The care of a group of fellow men,

Tested and tried in faith and love.

We shared many moments,

Of anguish and of pain.

Threatened by the frightened

Who occupied our domain.

My brothers waited and watched;

Took their turn to spread the word,

Of God’s delivery of humankind,

By the love of His Saviour, Jesus Christ.

We travelled from town to town,

Visiting the fallen and those cast down;

The religious and sanctimonious rejected us,

But the humble and meek were so joyous.

The words we shared were simple and kind,

Offered redemption and peace of mind.

We were witness to a power so great,

We held out our arms and welcomed without debate.

Our brotherhood of Christ became

Communities with sisters the same.

We bore the label of His name,

And soon were called Christian.

The Disciples , of whom I was one,

travelled and took the Gospel word far from home.

We were received by many, in cities,

Villages and towns beyond Palestine and Galilee.

We broke bread and shared;

We healed the sick; cast out demons,

Gave comfort through action and deed;

Revealed the light of Christ by His Word.

We wearied with the dust of the road;

Were lifted up by faith in the Lord.

Refreshed ourselves in the darkest of days;

Rested at night wherever we stayed.

We were not alone!

The Lord’s love will always be,

The gift given freely,

Given to each and every one, unconditionally.

Christ said, “Arise, take up your bed.”

“Your sins are forgiven;”

“Go forward and sin no more.”

For those who could accept what was done and said.

Give praise: Give praise;

To the gift of God.

For the life of His Son;

For the forgiveness of sin.

My life lived to the full,

Beyond the simple existence,

That once held me;

A philosopher chained to the sea!

With my brothers, we faced death,

From the powerful, only on earth.

My missive has always been free,

To reach those devout enough to hear.

“I am John!”

I give thanks to our God;

To His Son our Holy Lord;

For the freedom of soul he bought.

April 24th. 1996 ã Will George.