December 25, 2005


From the Keyboard of John Apple:

    Today is Christmas! This is the day to celebrate the birth of the Son of God, Who came to Earth, became an itinerant preacher and was executed as a common criminal. Three days later, He miraculously rose from the dead.

    Because of this, I am not going to have to pay the penalty for my crimes. (However, I still am responsible for my actions).

    The coming of Jesus brought the Word of god, the church, and the help and comfort of the Holy Spirit. These are aids to us in over coming out problems.

    I have been baptized with water, taken the leap-of-faith, accepted Jesus as my personal Savior; been born-again, confirmed in the Church, filled with the Holy Spirit, and commissioned to spread the Gospel.

    However, my life is in a state of disarray. I watch the news broadcasts every day, and it appears that the Church and the world are in disarray as well. The Earth appears to be as much in-need of a savior as it was 2,000 years ago.

    I guess the difference now is that I/we have hope!

    The Messiah is supposed to come again. What is God going to do the second time that God did not do the first time? It is hard to imagine a greater act of love than to submit voluntarily to death by crucifixion, or a greater miracle than to rise from the dead.

    I know this: I cannot save myself; nor can I dictate to God how or when I am to be saved!

    I find myself in the same situation as the disciples on the road to Emmaus. I guess that I'll jsut keep walking along until the Lord overtakes me on the road.

    In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen!
John Apple is the poet-in-residence within the Mississippi Department of Corrections.