Hatred - Poem by Raymond A. Foss

Christ preached, from the mountain,
the hills of Zion, words to change the world
to loose the grip of hatred
seeing that hatred kills those who hate,
not just the hated;
changing the perspective
the focus of lives,
to love even our enemies
to break free of bonds,
pulling us, an eye for an eye

Giving hope in the desert places
where the pain is almost too much to bear
living the words he gave us
even to the cross to bear

His spirit within us
his choices we can make
to love not to hate our oppressors
to see Christ in every new face
to love no matter the situation
to forgive in every instance
to walk nearer to thee
To carry the yoke of our savior
to answer the call of our master
and be Christ to our neighbors
whoever they may be

January 18, 2009
the message, “It’s not just a dream but a reality”
on the sign in front of church,
the story of Moses and Joshua,
Deuteronomy 34:1-12
Joshua 1:1-9
and on the juxtaposition of the
80th birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.
and the inauguration of Barack Obama
as President of the United States of America
along with
Micah 4:1-4
Matthew 5:43-48
the sermon, “Love Your Who???”,
by Reverend Huntley Halvorson,
Suncook United Methodist Church, Suncook, NH,
and the hypothetical put to Eric Holder, nominee for Attorney General,
by Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) on the use of waterboarding,
January 15, 2009, during his Senate Confirmation Hearings,
see http://thinkprogress.org/2009/01/15/cornyn-holder-waterboard/