I made a new aquaintence in church today. We exchanged interests and learned that one was classical music and another was potentially poetry. He wrote down a poem from memory and gave it to me at the end of church. At home I sat down to read the poem. I was really enjoying it, but then I got to the last three lines and felt disappointed. Perhaps the author did not know the good news that I know, or perhaps his focus was elsewhere. At any rate I include the poem here and two verses that I quickly added (in a different color) to, as they say in music, resolve the dissident chords, caused in me at any rate. In defense of both Dr. Stidger’s thoughts and mine, I remind you of what it says in John 13:10: “Jesus said to him, ‘He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.'” I believe Jesus means both that Judas was unclean and that His disciples can pick up dirt from this world, that though they are clean, “needs only to wash”. Oh, how glorious, I’m clean!
I saw God wash the world by Dr. W. L. Stidger
Junco
The red is more red
Since God washed every fragrant face
And put them all to bed
There is not a bird, there is not a bee
That wings along the way
That was a cleaner bird or bee
Than it was yesterday
I saw God wash the world last night
Ah, would He had washed me
As clean of all my dust and dirt
As that old white birch tree!
But oh, He has and cleaner yet
But not with rain and wind
He washed me in the blood of Christ
And I’m completely cleansed
Yet I will have dirt settle on me
As indeed will flower and tree
But my soul is cleansed of all its sin
And could not cleaner be
