Will George Poet The Twelve Faces of Christ

The Twelve Faces of Christ

Can we look upon the face of Christ?

Will we expect to see His joy,

Or shall we see the pain of this life?

Would each Apostle appear free?

Would each one's face be calm,

Or shall it reflect his pain and grief?

Peter, the fisherman, burnt and tanned,

Muscular, strong in body and mind;

Firm in his opinion, but willing to learn.

He was willing to meet his call,

To put aside his daily chore,

To be a foundation for those who would follow,

The brow might be furrowed,

The lips might be taut,

But the eyes would gleam and he would smile when in doubt.

Andrew, a brother, the younger of course,

Demonstrated respect by his wish to be first;

He stood up and gave all that he could.

The sibling whose rivalry tested the love,

That brothers and sisters are expected to have,

One for the other and for those who were close.

The hair tousled and full,

Windswept and sandy, the face of a cherub,

But mischievous and a little profound.

James, Son of Zebedee, the greater perhaps,

Staid and established in manner and tone;

A leader who maintained his patriarchal home.

Learned and trained in the temple ways,

Spoke loudly and clearly, his Lord to praise;

Gave leadership to the many who followed the path.

Orderly and proper his daily approach,

To the secular authority of which he would quote,

Of history's teaching from scroll and rote!

John, also beloved, as the younger brother,

Or cousin, who supported and gave his friendship;

Waited and watched providing his kinship.

He readily believed the experiences granted;

Relished being present at miraculous acts,

Recounted his observation of established facts.

Quiet, pensive, willing to wait,

Patient, efficient, the best to relate,

Accepted the tremors and turmoil of fate.

Philip, the outspoken, voiced his opinion,

Extroverted, admonished the administration;

His voice a thorn in the side.

Firm in understanding and in knowledge sound;

He was able to interpret how the scriptures applied,

He gave reference to the words, helping the poor to decide.

He choose the path he would follow,

To deliver his story and he choose not to hide,

To convert those who would listen, at the cost of his life.

Bartholomew, renamed upon his conversion!

From sceptic to believer, true to his form,

One who challenged all facts until proven.

Knowledgable, continually searching and questioning events,

Reviewed experiences to understand the content;

Accepted as a thinker amongst those who knew.

A man of Cana, an established Israelite,

Faithful to the teachings received earlier in life,

Willing to defend his ideology and spiritual view.

Thomas, willing to assert his commitment,

The first to volunteer and advance;

But cautious where risk was not laid out.

Full of good intent, persuaded easily,

He was happy to be miserable or pessimistic,

To stand fast until danger might pass.

He would cast down his eyes,

When his questions were rebuked,

Pout a little until he was assured of truth.

Matthew, the bully only for show,

Nursed a good outlook and cared for the Jew.

He was humble enough to accept a minor role.

He was happy to boast of new found friends,

To joke with old comrades while appeasing the new;

He felt very special for the attention he gained.

He observed the events and the influence he now had,

To re-organize and retell the stories of Christ's past;

To stand up and be counted as an authority to remain to the last.

James, son of Alphaeus, merchantman;

Traveller, son of a Greek!

Worldly, welcomed in port and coastal city.

Trader of goods and of people,

Aware of feelings and of attitudes;

Wily in obtaining what he pursued.

Plain faced, calculating and calm,

Listened to advance his own position,

Agreed or disagreed as it suited his petition.

Thaddaeus, counterpoint to James,

Converted to Judean, wary of his past;

Confident and arrogant, outspoken and crass.

Observant, the thorn who would harass,

The weak or the powerful to goad their morass;

Bating in conversation to create the impasse.

Selective in friendship of those he could trust,

Rogues and low fellows with whom he might trade,

He would reward a favour with graciousness.

Simon, the Zealot, an active Essene,

Learned, fastidious, pious and lean;

Saintly, humble but not very meek.

A man willing to kill to defend his view,

Ready to raise havoc for his Nation to renew,

A possession of value greater than gold.

He would defend his faith at the cost of his life,

But each move he made to overcome strife,

Left him searching for the centre of his belief.

Judas, the enigma, friend and fool.

Follower and leader, wolf and sheep;

Willing to risk other lives for his sake.

False friend, encroaching and lacking trust,

Silver tongued, obtrusive, having raw lust,

For prominence and privilege to advance his own post.

A personality conflicting, yet smooth,

He wanted the Kingdom for all of the Jews,

But he fulfilled his acts according to his own will!

Each of His followers, Jesus accepted them all,

He knew the shortfalls and quirks of the individual,

Recognized ability and conscience willing to sacrifice.

He encouraged and counselled the Disciples together, and alone,

Gave strength and assurance to the needs of each one,

Opened their eyes to the spiritual world.

He helped them to find truth in themselves;

Celebrate fellowship without feeling insecure,

Enabled each one to grow and be spiritually pure!