“Forward March!”

 

 

“Forward march!”

Is the clarion call,

As long as you are born again

It's to you and all.

 

By the centre,

It is, “Forward march,”

With the sword of the Spirit

And a faithful heart.

 

Marching in time

With our Commander,

Captain of heaven’s hosts

And evil’s vanquisher.

 

“Forward march!”

To conquer the foe

So, the lost, their Redeemer,

May come to know.

 

Though conflict rages

Without and within,

We will still have the victory

Over the devil and sin.

 

“Forward march!”

And jettison the baggage

While trusting the Holy Spirit

To ably manage.

 

 

 “Forward march!”

In Twenty-Twenty-Five,

Marching together as a unit

To definitely thrive.

 

Forgiving past disputes

Yet learning from them,

Let us all be in “Forward march!”

To evade this problem.

 

For we are God’s army:

Meaning, the born-again,

And God will always be with us

In joy and through pain.

 

Leaving none behind

Whether weak or strong

But in agape love and Christian unity

Bringing each other along.

 

Sharing another’s burden

Fulfilling Christ’s law,

“Forward march,” together as one

Though differently flawed.

 

Strength in numbers

Like the proverbial sticks,

Opening the eyes of one another

To the enemy’s tricks.

 

Fearing for the weakest

And the one less comely

In the recognition that in Christ,

We are one family.

 

Having a vision

That goes beyond self,

Seeing beyond one’s own growth

To the body’s health.

 

 

We are in it together;

“Together”: the buzz word,

Yes, forward we march together

With vision unobscured.

 

You, guarding my back

And I, protecting yours,

Alert always for opportunities

That is, for open doors.

 

More than just a slogan

Must be “Forward march”

Or we have inadvertently retreated

Right from the start.

 

Valuing one and all

Despite personal perception

And being aware of the danger

Of self-gratification.

 

 

None is a Samaritan

And none is a Jew

But brothers and sisters in Christ,

Both me and you.

 

Eliminate all biases

And all prejudices

And let’s not judge like Pharisees

Or Sadducees.

 

But in honour

Preferring one another

For a cup of water in Jesus’ name

Is to God’s honour.

 

“Forward march!” as one,

As in the Trinity

And the gates of hell will yield

Under this unity.

 

And so, I will end this

Just like I began,

Entreating we build one another

Not body slam.

 

“Forward march!”

It’s the clarion call,

As long as you are born again

It is to you and all.

 

Stewart Russell © December 6, 2024