A Poem for Psalm 24 - 04/14/2024

April 14, 2024

During this Sunday's sermon, I read a poem I wrote about Psalm 24. Here is the poem for you to read again:

Psalm 24
"To the east he stationed winged creatures wielding flaming swords to guard the way ... " - Genesis 2:24

We came at last to the gates of the old fortress
We called out and were answered with silence
The gates were immovable
Rusted shut for they'd not been opened in living memory
and the history of this old fortress had become
indistinguishable from legend.
It was said only those with clean hands and pure hearts could pass through
and so they had long remained unmoved.

I began to weep and to weep
for no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth
could open those gates or look inside them.

Don't weep, I heard a voice say
Don't you know those gates are not locked
from the inside, but from the outside?
And I saw a lock, but there was no key.
"Who holds the key?" I asked.
It has been lost, said the voice.
And I began to weep again, for I knew
there was no hope.

It has been remade, said the voice
by the one who dwells in the fortress.
He holds the key of David
What he opens no one can shut
and what he shuts no one can open.
He has come down out of the fortress to unlock it.
And I saw a King
Riding on the foal of a donkey
and I heard a great sound as the might gates began to lift
the ancient doors arose
the King stopped and locked at me and said
"Follow me, for all who follow me will enter in."

Who is this glorious King?
The Lord! Strong and powerful!
The Lord! Might in battle!
The Lord of heavenly forces!
Mighty gates! Lift up your heads!
Ancient doors! Rise up high!
That all may enter in
For the whole earth is the Lord's and everything in it.
May all return to their glorious King!