A parable and “A lamb set aside”

The return of Jesus will be like when a husband has worked all through the night and is very tired. After telling his wife that he will get up sometime for lunch, he is finally free to sleep.

And when he rises from sleep, his wife smiles happily and welcomes him gladly. He sees that his lunch is already cooked and sits bubbling on the stove. The table is laid ready, with utensils and a plate in each place. Beside his plate, a glass with a cool drink awaits him. The husband and wife sit down together and share a meal.

I tell you the truth, that man will treasure his wife forever!

In the same way, make sure that you have everything ready for Jesus before he returns.

A lamb set aside

I thought on the saviour one night at home
In a comfortable chair, with my thoughts free to roam,
As the clock’s steady tick marked the passing of hours
And a cool summer breeze brought the sweet scent of flowers
I thought of a night long ago.

’Twas the night before Passover; moon nearly full.
A lamb set aside, not a mark on its wool.
Reminding the faithful of Yahweh’s salvation –
A lamb set aside to save life.

Yet outside the city, in dark beneath trees,
The lamb of God struggled and fell to his knees,
Then he fell on his face and he begged in his fear –
As the lamb set aside to save life.

Shut up in the homes of those keeping God’s law,
Was many a lamb without blemish or flaw,
And the memory of Egypt was strong in each heart,
Of a lamb set aside to save life.

But outside the city, Gethsemane brooded.
Where cold and the darkness of fear had intruded,
The saviour appealed to his friends to keep watch,
With the lamb set aside to save life.

Then the Lamb of God begged, with entreaties so deep,
While his friends ‘neath the trees struggled vainly ‘gainst sleep.
And he desperately sought a new path from his God
For the lamb set aside to save life.

Oh, for the wings of a bird of the night
For a means of escape, wings outspread, taking flight!
But the father’s great love for the world must be shown
Through the lamb set aside to save life.

“Your way and not mine” was a conqueror’s speech,
And our Lord found that victory was there within reach,
“Just a night and day, then the battle’s been won,”
Said the lamb set aside to save life.

I thought on the saviour that night at home
In a comfortable chair, with my thoughts free to roam
While the clock’s steady tick marked the passing of hours
And I honoured the man at the height of his powers
Who set all that aside to save us.