The Paschal Lamb

I am the chosen lamb, no other can compare
To the beauty of my face or the brightness of my hair.
My bones are firm and strong, my every part well-formed.
With purity and spotlessness by God I've been adorned.
My master's tender voice has declared I am the best!
His gentle hand and loving staff have led me from the rest,
Away from fence and field to sleep beside him through the night
And help the kids complete their chores by early morning light.
My master, how he loves me, and I love him dearly, too.
Nothing for my master would I dare refuse to do.

Four nights I've passed beneath his roof, the fifth is drawing nigh,
And I hear talk around the house that someone's soon to die.
I want to grieve along with them, to share the children's pain,
But they stay distant and neglect to speak the victim's name.
My master softly talks to them while sharpening his knife.
I wonder if he has a mind to take another's life.
He beckons me to follow him and join him in his task.
I trust him and I follow, not a single question asked!
But soon he stops and lays me down beside his firstborn son.
I feel the cut and cry to him, “Not my will …”

I wrote this poem 20 years ago but don't think I ever published it anywhere. I always imagined I'd have the time and creativity to write a second part from the standpoint of Jesus, who completes the final phrase in the Garden of Gethsemane: "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done." (Luke 22:42)

I never got past the first couplet or two. I'm afraid trying to write a verse from the standpoint of Christ risks theological error in any number of ways. Better to let the connections be made by the existing Scriptures in their own words. Nevertheless, I liked the idea of zooming way way out and opening with,

"I am the chosen lamb, no other can compare
To the radiance of my glory, which the stars all pine to share!"

For a long time now, Easter has been the most moving worship service of the year for me. The extended meditation on the resurrection grounds and re-centers my faith in these basic principles:

"But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive." (1 Cor. 15:20-22)

"He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high." (Heb. 1:3-4)

Happy Easter!