Greetje: New page: {{info}}There in a lonely field, unsold,
The graves were only hours old
Where Ananias and his wife
Lay dead, because the breath of life,
Once freely given by their God,
As f...

Greetje — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 14:28:28 GMT

New page: {{info}}There in a lonely field, unsold, The graves were only hours old Where Ananias and his wife Lay dead, because the breath of life, Once freely given by their God, As f...

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{{info}}There in a lonely field, unsold, The graves were only hours old Where Ananias and his wife Lay dead, because the breath of life, Once freely given by their God, As freely ceased, and thus the rod Of wrath and justice fell upon Their sad deceit. The light of dawn Had not yet lit the dismal field, Nor any crowing cock revealed The immanence of day. Beside The simple graves, where he had cried Through half the night, there, on a stone, Sat Peter, staring, numb, alone. All night the scene ran through his head. Again, and then again, the dread Look on his face, and awful sound As Ananias hit the ground, And died at once, because he lied To man and God. For what? Some pride? Some suicidal passion for A little cash, a little more? To spend on what now from the grave? "O, Ananias, why? Why crave What you already owned?" All night The scene filled Peter's mind, and fight Against it, as he might, it came Again: "We sold a field, and claim Now in the presence of our Christ, This is the sum, now sacrificed For love of Jesus and the poor. Take this we pray and may it cure Some sickness of the flesh or soul."

But even while he spoke, the whole Deceit was opened to the mind Of Peter by the Lord: "I find Your liberality smells more Of hell than our sweet Christ. Before You sold this field, was it not yours? And afterward the same? How lures This money then your soul to lie To man and God? What will you buy With money you have got by such A foolish scheme? However much In all the world, will it recoup The cost of making God a dupe?" Before he could say any more, The man collapsed. And on the floor The cunning seller of his land Was dead, his money in his hand. And Peter stood as speechless as A corpse before the God who has The right to give and take the breath Of life and set the time for death. This was not his design, nor did He know that God, so swift, would rid The church of such a sin. And while He trembled there, with brazen guile Sapphira, Ananias' wife, Appeared. And Peter thought, "This life As well, O Lord, will you require?" She smiled and said, "It's my desire Just like my husband's, that the sum Which, by the grace of God, has come Into our hands by selling one Of our large fields, be giv'n, and none Of it be kept for us. Praise be To God, who is for us the key To wealth and happiness." The look On Peter's face perplexed and shook Sapphira for an instant. Then She smiled, as Peter asked, "And when You sold it, was it for this price That you bring here?" She said, "Precise, And to the penny, like our love For Christ and what we're dreaming of As you take this and bless the poor. We trust you, Peter. It is sure: A man of God does not deceive." She wondered at his tears. "I grieve," He said, "to ask, Why this accord, To test the Spirit of the Lord, Between you and your husband, when The world would have been yours? Or can You buy eternal life, unpriced, When you have made a fool of Christ? The feet of those who buried your Accomplice come. And it is sure, As you were one in lying breath, God says, 'You will be one in death.' One mercy now remains: How brief Today your widowhood and grief!"

All through the night, again and then Again, he cringed and saw the men First carry Ananias to The grave, and then Sapphira, through The fading light of day—like two Limp flowers cut from where they grew, And tossed away. But then, as day Began to break, and night gave way To early morning gray, a sound Pierced Peter's mind, and turned around The way he saw the world. A bird, A crowing cock. And when he heard The voice of this old friend, the night Came back to him when he, in spite Of all his boasts, fell like a leaf Before a breeze, and his belief Denied. "I do not know the man!" He said. "Oh, yes, you're from his clan." The servants of the priest declared. "We've seen you with him. You're just scared To tell the truth." "I do not know The man," he said again. "You show That you're from Galilee by how You speak." And so he took a vow And, with a curse, said one more time, "I do not know this man." The crime That he committed in those lies, Now rose, before his weary eyes, A thousand times more heinous than Sapphira's lies, or of the man Who put her to it. Peter sat There trembling, weak, and stunned now at The difference. "Lord, why?" he cried? "My sin is worse. Three times I lied While you were suffering for me. I do not know why this should be: That they should die and I should live, Or how you wrath and mercy give." He lifted up his hands and said, "O Lord, why did I not drop dead?"

And then the Lord replied, "It's true, My friend, your sin was worse, and you Deserved the countenance of wrath Far more than these two here. Your path Led straight to hell, and if I would Have let you go, no power could Have kept you from the flames. I did Not owe you this, nor is it hid From open sight that you, my friend, Are saved by grace, and in the end Are chosen unconstrained by good Or evil deeds that would or could Be made the root of my decrees. In heaven and on earth I please The counsel of my wisdom first. For centuries my name has burst The chains laid on my will by man, When he presumes to shape my plan Around his self-defining will- A futile thing, for I fulfill The purposes I formed before The world was made. Do not make war Against my freedom, Peter. All That I have ever done to call And carry you is free. Receive This gift and tremble as you grieve Beside these graves. If it were not For grace, this would have been your lot. They fell before your feet depraved, That you might know how you were saved."

Then, speechless, Peter rose and set His face to follow Christ, and let Each breath and trace of faith display The way that sovereign grace holds sway.

And now as we light candle two, May Christ illumine me and you, To see that we deserve no good From him, and sovereign justice would Be served, if all of us fell dead At Jesus' feet. But if, instead, We live and stand before his throne, Let thanks be given for grace alone. And let the one who doubts say this: "It is my everlasting bliss To know that God elects not by Our works, but his decree, and I Dare not use my iniquity To prove that he rejected me. O precious promise, sweet command: Trust Christ alone, and you will stand."

Peter, Ananias, and Sapphira - Revision history

Greetje: New page: {{info}}There in a lonely field, unsold,The graves were only hours oldWhere Ananias and his wifeLay dead, because the breath of life,Once freely given by their God,As f...

Greetje: New page: {{info}}There in a lonely field, unsold,
The graves were only hours old
Where Ananias and his wife
Lay dead, because the breath of life,
Once freely given by their God,
As f...