He taught in puns and riddles,
in pictures wrung from words,
of gates and fields and shepherds,
of fish and flowers and herds.
These parables are potent,
ingrained with hope and grace,
infused with love and beauty,
transcending time and place.
So Jesus, Word incarnate,
became the word he spoke,
embodied loving kindness,
in whom our faith awoke.
Not just a simple shepherd,
a gate to keep the sheep,
the image offers credence
that we may safely sleep.
And every phrase he uttered,
and every step he took,
say, this is God, this shepherd,
into whose world we look.
His parables paint pictures
of love we strain to grasp,
beyond our comprehension,
this love will always last.
Andrew Pratt (born 1948)
Words © 2015 © Stainer & Bell Ltd, London, England copyright@stainer.co.uk . Please include any reproduction for local church use on your CCL Licence returns. All wider and any commercial use requires prior application to Stainer & Bell Ltd.
Metre: 7 6 7 6 D
Tune: DAY OF REST
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