The arms of the King stretch out to embrace the world
He calls us from the Cross
Enthroned by man, nailed hard and fast
Witnessed by God, crowned with Mercy.
 
He looks down on His sheep
Scattering madly as they panic and weep
Their Shepherd no longer stands at the gate, leading and guiding
For he has become the target of the Thief
Who tries to steal His kingdom
Hoping to destroy and kill; and to decimate the Saviour’s flock.
 
But the Deceiver deceives himself
For he has no power – to create, to succeed, to overthrow.
 
The Sacrificial Lamb spills His glorious blood over a land, poisoned and parched.
It revives; it lives.
A humble King tears down the strongholds erected by the enemy of life
And He pours out His love, mercy and forgiveness over His people –
Raising the dead, giving life to the living, searching for and finding
The lost sheep of generations to come… For He is eternal.
 
His kingship is eternal. His love, without limit.
For who can constrain the Author of life?
 
Find Him in pastures, green
By still waters
In the silence
In the valley, low, and the mountain, high
In the gentle breeze
In the warmth of heaven’s rays
 
Find Him in the chaos and strife of life
In the prisons of damaged lives
On the flattened battle-ground of war
In the war-torn city rubble
In the broken hearts of the suffering man
In the debris of hate and the fear of the rejected
In the boat crashing through waves on a stormy, volatile sea
In the prayers of a crying child
In the helplessness of the innocent
In the black abyss of the dying and confused
 
Mercy governs His heart, because he is good – beyond measure.
His faithful fall at His feet
He offers them forgiveness and healing
When their hearts meet His with true sorrow
And He crowns them with love…
For He is love
 
The Shepherd’s staff becomes a royal sceptre - the rod of our King.
When Moses struck the rock, water poured out to give life.
The Son of Man - the Rock, the Shield, the Fortress - strikes His beloved people
His Spirit of life, pours out from His pierced side
Flowing into every desolate place –
To refresh, to renew, to transform, to save.
 
The sheep keep their Shepherd in sight –
For He finds the lost and the stray
And carries the wounded on His shoulders
Taking them back to the fold.
For Merciful, is He.
 
 
The Cross stands high, marking its place for all to see –
This wooden throne over-shadows the earth, yet blinding it with glorious light!
He calls us by our name; we hear the Shepherd’s voice
And know that our King is near.
Luminosity, eradicating the darkness, bursts forth:
Light from Light, true God from true God -
This is our Shepherd King. Praise Him