Saturday, December 1, 2018

The Word

[repost]


THE WORD "became Flesh and so-journed among us..."
(John 1:14)

THE WORD was spoken at Creation, 
 And all things came into being.
In the beginning,
All Nature resounded with THE joyous WORD.

THE WORD was recorded by the prophets,
God's Holy Men of old.

"In the beginning was THE WORD,
And THE WORD was with GOD,
and THE WORD was God.
This One was with God in the beginning." (John 1:1-2)


THE WORD 
was spoken to the Virgin Mary,
And she received THE WORD by the Spirit's power.
She conceived and bore a Son,
For in the fullness of time, 
God sent forth His Son to be born of a woman.
(Galatians 4:4)
She wrapped Him in Infant's clothes
And laid Him in a feed trough,
For there was no place else for Him.

Shepherds heard THE WORD from Angels,

So they themselves came to examine THE WORD for themselves.
They gave thanks for THE WORD
     and spoke THE WORD to others.

Wise men came to view THE WORD,
Led by their star's bright light.
THE WORD gives men wisdom,
For THE WORD is, itself, WISDOM. (Proverbs 8)
The Wise Men gave THE WORD gifts,
But THE WORD gave them greater gifts.
Though they left Bethlehem,
THE WORD never left them.

THE WORD has been handed down now
Through countless number of ages.
But THE WORD still stays among us,
Speaking as plainly to people as ever.
So, we, too, have seen His glory,
The glory of the One-and-Only-Begotten from the Father,
Full of grace and truth. . .
"Your WORD is TRUTH." (John 17:17)


THE WORD still illumines the walk of the saints,
As it has from time immemorial. . .
"Your WORD is a Lamp unto my feet
And a Light unto my path." (Psalm 119:105)

THE WORD brightens and cheers the walk
And leads us to Himself.


---C. Marie Byars, 1989
St. Louis, Graduate School
(original Bible Translations)

4 comments:

David C Brown said...

Amen and hallelujah!
It's good to pursue a line of contemplation like this. I didn't know you knew Greek.

C. Marie Byars said...

Glad you liked it. Yes, I actually got my bachelor's degree in Greek & Hebrew. I'd planned to be what's called a "Lutheran Bible Translator", which is like Wycliffe Bible Translators, if you've heard of them. Then I got an M.A. in theology, post-military. This was all in support of being a missionary, since our church doesn't have women ministers. But my husband didn't really want to be a missionary; now I'm discovering I had some underlying chronic health problems that probably would have made it a bad idea, anyway. But I got a 2nd master's in another field, and it's all dove-tailing now, finally, into a more seamless whole in my life!

David C Brown said...

No doubt the Lord has His hand in all these things.

C. Marie Byars said...

It's sometimes hard to see the whole pattern, but we just keep on going.