Independence to Christmas

 

 

To the blue and yellow of Independence

Add the green and red for Christmas

Thus, a greater array to warm the eye

With a little more fuss.

 

From the conkies of November

To all kinds of cake at Christmas

And ham, although all the year round,

At Christmas is a must.

 

From the builders of Barbados

To the One who created life,

The Almighty God on who we can depend

For counsel and advice.

 

From Independence to Christmas

Two months of celebration,

Both very critical to our everyday life

And worthy of contemplation.

 

The former is local in its focus

The latter, for the greater good,

One was built on blood sweat and tears,

The other, on Jesus’ blood.

 

 

 

Yes, Christmas points towards

A dark Mount Calvary;

From the glitter and lights of Christmas

To Good Friday’s mystery.

 

From a Christmas tree bedecked

To a blood stained cross

Where Jesus hung for several hours

To redeem the lost.

 

From Independence to Christmas

From colonialism to freedom,

Not just the freedom of a Nation Republic

But of a heavenly kingdom.

 

Thank you, Lord, for Barbados

And for this place we call home

But most of all we are beseeching you:

Make our hearts your throne.

 

From Independence to Christmas,

November to December,

The latter long preexisted the former

This we must remember.

 

 

 

Before earth’s foundation

The first advent was planned,

Not an afterthought, like some believe

When Jesus became man.

 

Yes, in a Bethlehem cattle shed

The Christ child was born,

God, the creator of all that there is,

Took on human form.

 

Thus, the reason for Christmas,

And our Independence,

For, without the Word that created,

Nothing’s in existence.

 

Stewart Russell © December 4, 2025

 

Is Christmas Pagan?

 

 

Pagan in the past

Pagan in the present,

‘Tis the view of some believers

Regardless of intent.

 

They read motive

And they read intent

So, all who celebrate Christmas

Need to repent.

 

Might I also add

They also read minds

And any celebrating Christmas

Is wrong every time.

 

Regarding Easter

Some believe the same,

And Good Friday, though solemn,

Is in the same frame.

 

Christmas is pagan,

It is not in the Word

But neither is the computer,

Haven’t they heard?

 

 

Pagans have a focus

Known to be idolatrous,

Their worship so-called deities

Other than Jesus.

 

The sun is one such,

And the moon and stars,

Then there are rivers and men

That are held on par.

 

Some made their gods

Which is quite the reverse,

Compared to the Creator God

Theirs is a curse.

 

It comes down to focus

At least, for me,

The Lord God Jehovah is God!

All else is idolatry.

 

Focus on Jesus Christ,

The Christ of Christmas,

He is Emmanuel, God with us,

Yes, that’s Jesus.

 

Emulate God’s giving

And give to others,

Especially for the less fortunate,

Make it brighter.

 

Celebrate God’s Gift:

The Gift of His Son

Sacrificed for the whosoever

As the sin ransom.

 

Myriad arguments

By some will be raised

But for that first Christmas

Give God praise.

 

Praise for His Son,

Praise for redemption

And praise for that first advent

Resulting in our salvation.

 

 

 

Call it pagan, if you will,

If that is your view

But Christmas for me is Christ,

How about you?

 

Stewart Russell © December 12, 2024

 

What Does Good Friday Mean?

 

 

What does Good Friday mean

To a Jew, a Gentile, a Christian?

Well, it may mean different things

Each having his own explanation.

 

To a Jew it mightn’t mean a lot

That Jew not believing in Christ Jesus,

To a Gentile, not being a Jew in any case,

He might consider it just a fuss.

 

To a Christian, as in born again,

It should really hit the spot

Seeing he has been redeemed from the curse

And the kingdom is his lot.

 

To none of the above, I dare say,

It might mean absolutely nothing

Other than another day off from work

To make merry and have a fling.

 

That is of course, until #1,2 and 4

Come into contact with Jesus Christ

Having believed by faith the message

Of the Saviour’s atoning sacrifice.

 

 

 

What does Good Friday mean,

Not to any of the above, but to you?

Is it just another day in the calendar year

You can relax with nothing to do?

 

Or is it that day when we go to church

To mourn the loss of a loved one,

That loved one being Jesus the Christ

Having more than 2000 years gone?

 

Do you dress in black or white

Certainly not green or yellow or red,

For after all, such brightly coloured attire

Is disrespecting of the dead?

 

Good Friday is a day to rejoice

And to give God thanks and praise,

For the fact that Jesus rose from the dead

And is no longer in the grave.

 

 

The setting sun rolled into dawn

From seeming defeat to total victory

And for everyone that believes in Jesus,

There is life eternally.

 

Good Friday, as it is justly called,

Is a good day for the born again,

Whether he be a Jew, a Gentile or a Christian

He is now redeemed in Jesus’ name.

 

 

Does it mean nothing to you

That Jesus died, was buried and rose again

So that you and I might be saved

In his wonderful name?

 

Stewart Russell © March 28, 2024

 

Impeached but Exonerated

 

 

Impeached but exonerated

And I am not talking about Trump,

He would have to deal with that

On his own account.

 

I am talking about me

And what I have been through

And you who are reading this,

What you’ve been through too.

 

I was impeached and found guilty

Simply because I was born,

Most would find that unusual

Because it’s not the norm.

 

What is the crime in being born

Would be the question to ask,

If Adam and Eve were alive

I would give them that task.

 

However, since they are not

I will point you to God’s Word

Even though something tells me

You have already heard.

 

Let us ask the Psalmist

And we will see what he says,

Shaped in iniquity and conceived in sin

That’s how it was way back in the day.

 

So, we were born into sin

That, my friend is the norm,

Consequently, one is counted a sinner

From the very day he is born.

 

Hence the first part of the theme

Impeached from my birth,

Yes, I was impeached

Before I even set foot on the earth.

 

But it doesn’t end there

And I truly thank God for this

And so, I come to the part

That I don’t want you to miss.

 

So as in Adam every man sinned

In Christ every man can access pardon,

Yes! Exonerated in Christ Jesus

Ever since I’ve been forgiven.

 

 

Impeached on Adam’s account

But exonerated through Jesus Christ

Not on any merit of my own

But because of Christ’s sacrifice…

 

When on that first Good Friday

When before the heavenly court

He shouted “Father forgive them!”

Therein is my support.

 

Now being one of the “whosoever”

That believes in Jesus Christ,

I am exonerated through the blood

That will always suffice.

 

Impeached because of Adam

Exonerated in Christ,

If the same can be said about you

I would think that’s quite nice.

 

Stewart Russell © January 25, 2021

 

My Favourite Times

 

 

In any given year

I have my favourite times,

Those times I eagerly anticipate

Are always on my mind.

 

My birthday is not one

Maybe because I am old,

Thank God I don’t look too bad

As far as what I am told.

 

Photos don’t convince me

And neither does the mirror,

I am beginning to show my age

But this is not a horror.

 

 

Good Friday and Easter

Are definitely on the list,

Jesus’ death and resurrection

Surely, I could not miss.

 

Mother’s Day and Father’s Day

For me hold little hype,

I’d much rather Family Days;

I’m the family type.

 

Valentine, the lover’s day,

Is full of eroticism,

Rather, it should depict Agape Love:

Love that is from heaven.

 

 

 

Well it seems, at least to me,

I am missing out two,

I have left these for the last

And now I will share with you.

 

I’ll start with the lesser first

Though you may disagree,

However, it is my favourite times

And according to what I see.

 

The runner up on my list

Is Independence Day,

I am taken back to my childhood

And the old fashion way.

 

 

I get a thrill looking back

And how we used to do things,

Add to this, if you will,

The songs we used to sing.

 

Look how far we have come!

It didn’t start yesterday

But back over hundreds of years;

Let’s call it yesteryear.

 

The highlight of community

And the little with content,

Each one helping out the other one

Is what neighbourly meant.

 

 

The joys enjoyed together

And the pains mutually shared,

A vision not overly cosmetic

But for the future geared.

 

Much of which is being dropped

For the shadow of the bone

And many blanking community

Preferring to go it alone.

 

How I love Independence

And anticipate it every year!

Like a child filled with excitement

When his gift finally appears.

And this leads to number one

Which is Christmas time,

A season that is far too short for me

And is always on my mind.

 

 

Christmas is my favourite

For a number of obvious reasons,

After all, it is that time of the year

We have the goodwill season.

 

The celebration of Jesus’ birth

The one known as Emanuel

That came from heaven to earth

And with man did dwell.

 

 

The lights and the carols

The bounty and the sharing,

The decorations and pleasantries

And people caring.

 

Unto us a child was born

Unto us a Son was given,

Christmas is my favourite time

Reminding me of heaven.

 

 

One in the month of November,

The other in December

And the fact that they are so close

Should bring us all together.

 

Stewart Russell © November 14, 2023

 

Father Forgive Them

 

 

“Father, forgive them

For they know not what they do.”

These words were spoken by Jesus

And the ‘them’ were the Jews.

 

He had come to his own

And his own had not received him,

Blinded by their self-righteousness

To them Jesus was the sin.

 

In co with Beelzebub

Was how they saw his works

And throughout his earthly ministry

They treated him like dirt.

 

Herod attempted to kill him

Two years after his birth

And the Jews wanted to stone him,

The Lord of all the earth.

 

They plotted against him

Morning, noon and night

And would not rest, they had decided,

Until he was out of their sight.

 

And when they ran out of ideas

They turned to one of his own,

Judas Iscariot, you would recall

Was right in their zone.

 

A fence-straddler, I’d call him,

Committed only to himself

And scheming so that one day soon

He’d come into wealth.

 

 

You’d recall he carried the bag

And with it he was obsessed

And once, when Jesus was anointed,

He was not impressed.

 

 

He suddenly felt for the poor

And pretended that he cared

But Jesus rebuked him indicating

The poor is always here.

 

Well, for thirty pieces of silver

Jesus Christ was betrayed

But as far as the proceedings went

It did not go all Judas’ way.

 

Jesus was captured

But he did not try to escape

So that Judas’ plan went horribly wrong

After he had taken the bait.

 

We know how that concluded

Regarding the infamous Judas

Who ended up in the potter’s field

On account of his lust.

 

A miscarriage of justice followed

Encouraged by the Jews,

Their leaders wanted Christ crucified,

To them he was bad news.

 

They eventually got their wish

Much against Pilate’s reasoned mind,

Both Pilate and his wife felt

Jesus was not that kind.

 

She said he was innocent

And he said in him was no fault

But in those exacting circumstances

The crucifixion he could not halt.

 

 

He made one final offer:

A criminal named Barabbas

But the people called for the criminal

And crucified Jesus.

 

Crucify him, crucify him, they said,

His blood be on us and our children,

We have no king but Caesar,

To them Jesus was the problem.

 

Like the harlot, Jerusalem was,

She rode on the beast called Rome

Ignorant of the fact that very soon

Jerusalem would not be home.

 

Jesus was aware of her demise

Which he prophesied in Matthew 24,

John in the Revelation confirmed it!

It was even at the door.

 

 

Hence, “Father forgive them,

For they know not what they do.”

For while it was on a Roman cross,

The real culprits were the Jews.

 

Their house was left desolate,

Their blood flowed in the streets,

The temple and Jerusalem were laid waste

And for them the times were bleak.

 

The tribulation was Jacob’s trials

Rachel had wept for her children,

As Jesus had meticulously prophesied

It all happened in Jerusalem.

 

First the Jews were ignorant

Because they knew not redemption’s plan,

Secondly, they were ignorant

Because they knew not the God-man.

 

Thirdly they were ignorant

Because they knew not the future,

The future that was about to unfold

Presenting a horrid picture.

 

 

“Father forgive them

For they know what they do.”

Thus, Jesus ever intercedes in heaven

For his children: me and you.

 

Stewart Russell © April 6, 2023

 

2023

 

 

One whole day has gone

In the year 2023

And before long we can expect

To be into February.

 

It’s the month of lovers

And of the February-born

So, expect in the first fourteen days

A red and white storm.

 

The colours of Valentine

Will be dominant at this time

And especially the ladies among us,

Love will be on their mind.

 

 

There will be many holidays

In fact, today is one,

The next is Errol Barrow Day

And soon that will be gone.

 

Twelve I count in all

Ending with Boxing day

And possibly a next will be added

If it goes the people’s way.

 

Republic Day it could be

To honour Barbados the Republic,

To be the same day as Independence

Many say it doesn’t fit.

 

Merchants like these festivities

And we don’t have to ask why

But for those that are yet puzzled,

Sales go through the sky.

 

Before, it was mostly Christmas

With Independence and Valentine,

But then Mothers’ Day took off

And the others fell in line.

With this amount of activity

The year goes by pretty fast

And before you can say cock-robin,

Another year is past.

 

Plus, people are so busy

That a day seems rather short

And much of what they have planned

They are likely to abort.

 

One whole day has gone

And soon, two, three, four and five

And before the dust can settle,

Errol Barrow Day will arrive.

 

Then Good Friday and Easter

Not to mention Mothers’ Day,

National Heroes Day and Labour Day

Whit Monday’s next in the way.

 

Emancipation and Kadooment:

Both in the month of August,

Then our Independence celebration

With all its related fuss.

 

Yes, we are in November,

Christmas is just a month away

And immediately after Independence,

Count-down to Christmas Day!

 

Suddenly it seems, 2023 is gone

And with it, some loved ones too,

No different from the year before

As in the year 2022.

 

As we gaze across 2023

Full of dreams and expectations,

Let’s be aware of the thief of time-

His name is procrastination.

 

Go with God and He’ll go with you

No matter how fast or slow

And whatever the outcomes of 2023,

His inner peace you’ll know.

 

Stewart Russell © December 2, 2023