A loved and forgiven sinner is what we call a "saint,"
And that became apparent when we all gathered to paint!
It was Dag's house, the town said, it was in violation,
The job required love and help, surely cooperation.
Dave had the sander, others putty knives to scrape,
The paint was badly peeling, the house not in the best of shape.
back and forth, and up and down, the elbow grease did flow,
though a beautiful spring day, the air seemed filled with snow.
Showering down upon the ground came countless white paint chips,
And if your mouth was open, one might suddenly pass your lips!
"Thpew," you'd go, but then, of course, the scraping did proceed,
To make the preparations for the primer coat you need.
To fill in all the holes where no paint remained at all,
North and south, and east and west, all around the hall.
Ladders leaned against the house to reach the highest points,
And up upon the chimney, I felt it in my joints!
On and on and on we worked, all through the morning hours,
Till I felt the obvious sense of ever waning powers.
And I suspect that feeling shared by all in our whole bunch,
What a joy it was to hear the words, Evelyn said, "LUNCH!"
There were men upon the ladders, scaffolding all around,
While women worked on windows, on terra firma ground.
Others donated cupcakes, and sandwiches, and drink,
And when we paused to eat it all, it gave us time to think.
Of how we gather in our church to hear God's Word and sup,
To pass around the bread, as well as the common cup.
Yes, it was bologna, and tuna, egg and ham,
But on the lawn, it seemed to be the supper of the Lamb!
The Lamb of God, our Jesus Christ, the cross which was His end,
Says, "Greater love has no one than to give life for a friend!"
"Make a joyful noise to all the earth, sing praises to the Lord!"
To give oneself for someone else is truly our reward.
We talked and laughed, and ate and drank; the sun, Oh, it did shine,
We spoke of plays and trips and books, our lives did intertwine.
Gary said, if not for this, he might be home alone,
But here a day for help and love, and satisfaction known.
And so it was, when to our lunch, that Evelyn did summon,
We found it striking, as it seemed, we all had Christ in common!
Brothers, sisters, everywhere, a time to just relate,
And somehow work turned into fun, the whole day, it was great!
Commandments of our God, we're told, are not "burdensome,"
For love is born of God, and love is where we're from.
So whatever in this world there is that seems to drive you bonkers,
Remember always that it is faith in Christ that "conquers!"
Yes, there's not way out of it, some things give life a taint,
It may be illness, pain or death; or even peeling paint.
So we love, as Jesus did, for camaraderie,
Not alone, God's love sustains, unto eternity!
To love like Jesus did, of course means death upon the cross,
We came to work on Dag's old house, but God still was the boss!
As the President in Philadelphia communicated clear,
It is a good thing, to be sure, to wish to volunteer.
Yet, if I may be so bold, and have the needed nerve,
To volunteer is not enough, we Christians all must serve.
A volunteer can come and go, but love can never end,
"I no longer call you servant," Jesus says, "I call you friend."
"You do not choose me," he says, "but I am choosing you,"
"go out and bear good fruit, my friends, there's so much you can do,"
"I'll be with you all the way, my strength you will employ,"
"I have said these things to you that you may live in joy!"
So, returning to the ladders, the work we did not shirk,
But there could be no stepping back to gaze upon our work!
And after all the lunch we had, my belly felt a bloat,
Still it was exciting there, time for the final coat!
Higher and higher and higher I climbed, next to the chim-n-ey,
Holding on, and saying prayers, and singing hymnody!
Gary was sweeping off the roof of every little fleck,
And painting with a brush so small, he could be Toulouse Lautrec.
We laughed a lot, and spoke some more, and dreamed of Ireland,
Though work it was, the end result was having fun with friends.
Dottie, Linda, Gina, Pat, Ev, Jan, Ken and all,
Andrew, Gary, Dave and Dick; Erik, Bob and Paul.
Little by little the work got done, the windows were rehung,
So down the ladders we all came, carefully rung by rung.
Could it be done, we once asked, would we have what it takes?
Now quote the sage old saying, "What difference a day does make!"
The power of Christ upon the cross, dying there for you,
Makes us stand before our God, asking, "What can we do?"
The morning's magnitude compelled a heart full of dismay,
Now "Ooohs" and "Aaahs," exclaimed the finished product on display!
The April sky was bright and blue, the house was gleaming white,
Looking back across the lawn, it was just quite a sight!
With more than satisfaction, the heart of the servant rings,
"Sing to the Lord a new Song, for he has done marvelous thing!"
Kindness is an example that spurs other people on,
A neighbor saw the church at work, and so he mowed Dag's lawn.
"I am giving you commandments so that you indeed may love,"
Someone said, "You know this is what we should do much more of!"
A loved and forgiven sinner is what we call a "saint,"
And that became apparent when we all gathered to paint!
Forgiveness and eternal life are gifts for gratitude,
That need to make a difference when it comes to attitude.
Gina, I think, it was who challenged me to write a poem,
I wondered, then I thought, "Well maybe picture words can show "em."
For creating images gives us something to think of,
And that day at Dag's old house, we painted "A Picture of Love!"
