Gospel Story in Poetic Verse

For sharing the Gospel with others.



Day One Existence Before Time

Paraphrase of John 1:1-3 in Poetic Verse

In the first inning, in the very beginning, before all time,

There was the Messenger, standing with God, the Father.

By Spirit power, the Messenger is present in prime time.

For the Messenger, going the extra mile, is no bother.

His deeds of kindness go beyond goodness and fairness.

Though-out history there has always been an awareness,

Of the activity of the Messenger in all the universe's frame.

All creation, not just humanity, has had a sense of the same.

This Gospel proclaims that the Messenger is eternal,

God is one and there is no other. We experience Him,

As Spirit, the Presence; as Father, the General; as Messenger, the Colonel.

In John we experience God primarily as Messenger, the Journal.

All things came into existence though Messemger's foreseeing.

Without Him, not even one thing has come into being.







Day 2 In Darkest Night a Prayer is Heard

Paraphrase of John 1:4-7 in poetic verse

The Messenger is the Word of Life,

And Life is the Father's gift to all; both women and men.

Through the Word light has shined in the darkness,

And continues to brighten the whole universe again and again.

The darkness has never over-shadowed the Messenger's Word.

Demonstrated in the darkest night, when a prayer is heard.

God provided an answer by an agent from the Hebrew Klan.

His name was John, the Messenger's "special agent" man.

John introduced the Messenger, who gives amazing ligh,

So all might live victoriously, even in the darkest night,

Overcoming our terrible loneliness and paralyzing fright.

The Messenger as God's Word is He makes the Creator heard.

In the Messenger, God's presence receives prime time accent.

By the influence of the cross, the empty tomb, and pentecost,

Given to us when He came in the great visitation event.



Day 3 The Visitation Event

Paraphrase of John 1:8-14

John came as the special agent of the Promised One.

He was not the long awaited Christ, the Father's Son.

He came to introduce the Son, as the Messenger of Light.

He helped us to meet the Son, who illuminates our night.

He revealed how the Promised One always shares with us,

As the Messenger revealing to human nature spiritual insight.

His revelation is confirmed by the image of God in every person,

Providing from our birth the gift of the Creator's Light.

John introduced us to the Messenger as the living Word,

And through Him the heavenly Father's voice is heard.

He came as a human being into the world He made,

And we did not recognize nor welcome Him with a serenade.

Though we belonged to Him and are eternally indebted to Him,

Most of us did not invite Him to lead our personal parade.

And we did not recognize Him as the One who all creation made.

In fact, we are ashamed that we hide from Him when He came,

Like dishonest tenants who've been stealing the Master's grain.







Day 4 Some Received the Messenger

Poetic paraphrase of John 1:12-14

A few received Him, like Spring welcomes the great blue heron.

They did not experience Him as being over-barren.

With Jesus we enjoyed being in the Father's family,

In Him we moved to the Father's house, accepting his name.

We who live with Him have a new birth and a new fame.

Our birth did not come from this world's well known blood lines,

Nor from the adventures of discoveries, bringing new finds.

Nor did it come from the DNA of some outstanding combatant.

But it was life, coming from our Heavenly Parent.

And the Messenger, who is Christ, the Son, became one of us,

And it is recorded history that He lived for awhile in our town.

We actually saw Him as a real person, living in God's glory,

As He healed the sick and taught the people all around.

Such glory as the only begotten Son receives from his Father,

An obedient Son, full of loving-kindness and scriptural truth,

With a life of service, filled with miracles of living proof.



Day 5 A Secret Message Has Been Given

John 1:15-18 paraphrased in poetic verse

John testified about Him and cried out, with a shout.

"This is He of whom I said, 'Jesus of Nazareth is number One.'

He, who comes after me, has priority over me, there is no doubt,

For He existed before I did, as God's only begotten Son."

Our lives were transformed when in Him we believed.

For out of His abundance we have all received,

Grace upon grace and spiritual blessings shared "a plenty."

And favor upon favor and gifts heaped upon gifts for many.

While the wonderful gift of the Law was given through Moses,

The "icing on the cake" of unearned amazing grace,

Was given to us by Jesus Christ who suffered in our place.

And as we follow Him by faith, and share, "Jesus is the One,"

We are given assurance that God gives us new life in His Son.

No one has ever seen God, the Father, at any time;

Only the Messenger has an intimate presence with the Father.

He helps us communicate with our Fater on a daily routine.

He has revealed God, bringing Him out where He can be seen;

The "hidden" Deity is now welcomed on the human scene,

Just like we as children of our dairy farmer, earthly father,

Welcomed our dad's love gift of a milking machine.



Day 6 Who is This Man, John?

Paraphrased poetry of John 1:19-27

The leaders, from Jerusalem, sent messengers to Elizabeth's and Zechariah's son,

Asking, "John, Who are you?" "Are you the Promised One?

He responded, "I am God's Christ. I swear it is true."

They asked, "Are you Elijah? " And he said, "I am not!"

"Are you then a new Prophet, passing through?"

John said, "You are on the wrong track; You have a blind spot."

Then they said to him, "Tell us, Who are you?

Whatever credentials you have, it is time for you to show.

It is important now that we, as religious leaders, know."

John answered, "I am the voice of one shouting in the desert,

It is time for you to wake up and become alert.

Begin to do your job and prepare the way of the Lord,

Start over, and walk the path you have tried to divert."

And they asked him, "If you have a word from God,

Why are your garments so simple?

Why are you not wearing a prophet's shirt?

Why then are you baptizing if you are not the Christ?"

John answered, "Do not focus on me. I baptize only with water.

It is a preparation ceremony to help us to be alert; to Him.

Never fear; He is here. He has already entered our earthly shire.

Look, there stands the One, Whom you are too blind to see.

With your lack of vision you have lost the ability to deduce.

It is He coming after me, as the One preferred before me,

The sandals on His feet, we are not worthy to unloose."







Day 7 The Future Started in the Past

John 1:28-34 Paraphrased As Poetry

There was a wonderful faith response in Bethany near the Jordan crossing,

Where the Gospel through John's preaching and baptizing was unfurled.

The next day John saw Jesus coming to him and said, "Look!

There is the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world!

This is He of Whom I said, after me comes a Man Who takes rank above me,

Because He was before me and existed before I did.

And even though we grew up together as children running free,

I knew him as my cousin, but I did not know His true identity.

I could not clearly see, limited by my humanity.

But it is time that He should be made fully known,

As the Builder puts a corner stone to hold the structure together,

And to mark the historic site, where some important foundations were put right.

"I am now preaching and baptizing so we might come to know the Chief Artist's Son."

John gave further evidence, saying, I have seen the Spirit descending on Jesus of Nazareth,

As a dove out of heaven, and the Spirit dwelt on Him, witnessing that He is the Promised One.

Even though we grew up together, I did not know Him nor recognize his true nature.

But He was the Father's Messenger, the One, who sent me to baptize and said to me,

"Upon Him Whom you shall see the Spirit descend and remain,

He is God's only Son, Who by baptizing with the Holy Spirit makes all new."

And I actually did see it, and my testimony that "Jesus is the Savior" is true.



Day 8 An Invitation: Come and See

John 1:35-42 Paraphrased as Poetry

John was standing with two of his disciples, the next day,

And he called their attention to Jesus as He walked along the way,

And John said, "Look! There is God's Passover Lamb",

Remembering how God provided the Lamb meal in Egypt,

To set the children free from bondage to slavery.

The two disciples left John and went with Jesus,

Hoping to hear Him say, "Follow me!"

When Jesus saw them following closely,

He said to them, "And what is it you wish to see?"

And they answered Him, "Rabbi, where are You staying?"

He invited them, "Come with me."

So they went and saw the place where Jesus planned to stay,

And they remained with Him all day.

One of the two who had heard what John had to say,

Was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, known as a great fisherman.

Andrew first sought out and found his own brother and said to him,

We have found the Messiah!--which translated is the Christ (the Anointed One).

Andrew then led Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said,

"You are Simon, son of John. You shall be Cephas, known as Peter, the rock.

Follow me and I will make you a shepherd, a great leader of the flock."







Day 9 You Shall See Greater Things

John 1:43-51 Paraphrased as Poety

The next day Jesus desired and decided to go into Galilee;

And He found Philip and said to him, If you would be My attendant, follow Me.

Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the same city as Andrew and Peter.

Philip sought and found Nathanael and told him,

We have found the Christ, the One Moses talks of in the Law.

He is the One, the Prophets wrote about--Jesus from Nazareth, a carpenter's son.

Nathanael responded,"O me, Nazareth! Can anything good come out of such a place?"

Philip looked a Nathanael face to face, and said, "Come and see!"

Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him and said concerning him,

"See! Here is a true descendant of Jacob, an Isaelite indeed.

He has grown from pure and healthy seed. To refine his life there is not need.

In him there is no guile nor deceit nor falsehood nor duplicity!"

Nathanael, overheard Him and said to Jesus,

"How is it that You know these things about me?"

Jesus answered him, "Before Philip called on you,

I saw you when you were at home under the fig tree."

Nathanael answered, "Teacher, You are the Promised One!

You are the King of Israel! You are God's Son."

Jesus replied, "Because I said to you, I saw you beneath the fig tree,

Do you believe in and rely on and trust in Me?

Be a faithful disciple and greater things than this you will see."

Then Jesus said, "I assure you, most solemnly I tell you all,

You shall see heaven opened, revealing the Father's plan,

And the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man!