Remember, St Paul writes, my Gospel, for which I am suffering.
But the word of God, he says, is not bound.
Suffering but still believing.
Reaching out for what is sound.

I endure everything, he insists, for the sake of the elect.
That they also may obtain salvation.
The elect but not the select.
But still capable of jubilation.

If, he ends, we have died with him,
The statement is trustworthy.
We shall live with him.
We will endure, we are worthy.

We will not deny him,
We will reign with him

….

We will reign with him
And we will not deny him
That is our future

….

See 2 Timothy 2

He is not God of the dead.
But of the living.
We will rise from the dead.
We will go on living.

Ours is a religion of hope.
And of joy.
Somehow we will cope.
We will know eternal joy.

We will rise.
To new life.
Even if it will be another form of us that will arise.
To enjoy everlasting life.

Of course now we just live here.
After death we will live everywhere.

…….

We will find new life
And we will never despair
It is our crusade

…..,

See Mark 12: 18-27

Render to Ceaser, the thing that are Ceasor’s
And to God the things that are God’s.
And what we ask are Ceasor’s.
And what are God’s.

We render to Government what are Government’s
And to God the things that are God’s
But do we get a fair return from Government’s.
I think we get a fair return from God’s

From God we get joy.
And contentment.
More joy.
And more contentment.

And what do we get from Givernment.
Just ever more Government.

…..

Render to Ceasor’s
All the things that are Ceasor’s
And to God his things

……

See Mark 12: 13-17

A man planted a vineyard.
And leased it to tenants.
God has planted us in our own vineyard.
We are his disloyal tenants.

We care so much for material things
But they give us no happiness.
What is money , possessions, power but passing things.
Only the divine gives happiness.

So I sat alone in the empty church.
A great silent heavy emptiness descended.
There was nothing but a wooden cross in that church.
But peaceful joy ascended.

Five hundred witnesses testified to Christ resurrected.
But a moment’s joy can see faith resurrected.

…..

We can read the books
We can listen to sermons
But then joy just comes

……

See Mark 12: 1-12