Risen Poem by Denis Martindale

When Pontius Pilate sentenced Christ,
The Son of God knew well,
That after being sacrificed,
His death could save from Hell...
And so He walked to certain death,
Until they held Him fast,
His name, Jesus, of Nazareth,
Our Saviour from the past...

And once secured and hoisted high,
He suffered all they gave,
Until a final mournful cry,
When death meant He could save...
For in replacing sinners then,
Our Saviour took the blame,
His punishment was for all men,
The day He bore our shame...

His body slumped, a lifeless form,
Blood dripping to the earth,
Still flowing down, so red, so warm,
As if it had no worth...
Yet that remains the holy sign,
No sinner should ignore,
Christ died for your sins... and for mine...
For those both rich and poor...

The awful debts that sins create,
Were paid for on that day,
When love was shown to conquer hate
And washed Man's sins away...
That fate was not the Saviour's end,
Though He was crucified,
Yet it takes faith to comprehend
What Jesus prophesied...

He said He would be risen when
The Father made it so,
To prove Christ as the light of men,
The Saviour they must know...
No other name is given here,
No other could atone,
No other sign could make it clear,
Lord Jesus stands alone...

While nonbelievers scratched their heads,
To puzzle where He was,
Believers prayed beside their beds
And thanked God for the Cross...
Some testified they saw God's Son!
That made the doubters listen!
And that was how their souls were won...
LORD JESUS CHRIST HAD RISEN!


Denis Martindale, February 2016.