BOUGHS OF HEMLOCK

Boughs of hemlock, full, adorning,

blessed to greet the chilly morning;

as when Magi came afar,

from the east, beneath the Star,

and gave gifts to the King of kings,

Creator of created things,

who became a babe to carry,

and trusted the goodness of Joseph and Mary.

Boughs of hemlock, rich and stately,

by the roadside, waving greatly;

likened to the branches’ way

in Jerusalem that day,

when our Savior, Jesus, wept,

and on the road to the cross, kept,

to atone for us our peace,

from sin’s hold, a sure release.

Boughs of hemlock, sprinkled snow,

delicate grace on branches show

change, like wintertime to spring;

a new life planted, faith will bring

fruit and life from a spirit clean,

and fine harvest of an evergreen.

Truth and honor of scripture well

will be honored, as time will tell.

And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days.

Leviticus 23:40

BOUGHS OF HEMLOCK

"For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."

Luke 2:11 

MERRY CHRISTMAS! Christ is the root of the word 'Christmas' and the reason for the season. Let us trust God's Word to be accurate and sincere in testifying and giving praise to Jesus Christ.

Today is the last post of this year. Throughout the year, I featured the word 'repent', a word definitely in God's vocabulary. As a recap, here are a few highlighted Bible verses.

From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

Matthew 4:17

"But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.' For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."

Matthew 9:13

Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel."

Mark 1:14-15

And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

Luke 3:3

"Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

Luke 15:10

"The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree. Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.

Acts 5:31

As you can see, repentance is extremely important to the Lord. Humans in their sinful condition are in dire need of being saved. A dangerous thought and saying is when someone thinks and says that no one is in need of saving. They promote warm thoughts about someone's passing regardless of the deceased being saved or not, thinking everyone goes to Heaven no matter what. I've heard it and seen it. It's the worldly way of thinking. But oh, they are in for a rude awakening. Because if the remission of sins doesn't happen, then the sins are still there, and God can't look at sin.

Well, thank you for reading this past year's posts on the word 'repent'. Next year's key word will be revealed in the January 1st, 2026 post. So...stay tuned.

Here in Veery Glade, we are off to a snowy winter. For me, winter is a great, quiet time to write and I am busy working on my next project, whenever I can, which is For The Joy: An Easter Poetry Book. I don't know if I'll have it ready by this Easter but it will be done when it's done! I am illustrating the book as well. The first half of the book will be about the sacrifice and death of Christ and the second half will be about His resurrection. For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross. So... keep a look out for this next release.

Please pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ everywhere, especially in Northern Nigeria. Many people do not have the freedom to openly worship the Lord or have access to a Bible. Pray for them to be encouraged and for the front-line workers who are trying to assist them.

I hope you know, dear forest dweller, that 'I'm saved!' is the best phrase to own and promote. Jesus, the Messiah, was born to save, to forgive sin, to provide remission of sins through the shedding of His blood. Being saved is the BEST! Make sure your vocabulary mirrors God's vocabulary with this word: repent.