THE GREAT COUNSELOR

THE GREAT COUNSELOR
(this one was written after third visit with Father Manny) (c) 2003 Stephanie Durand

Close the doors,
The counselor is here
It is time for the meeting to begin
All that are ready,
Please come in.

The great counselor has
bowed his head and he
Has called us to meet with him
He has asked for your attention
Let the meeting begin.

Rejoice, for my son is coming
With arms wide open,
To receive the love of his life
It is a special day for him
For he has waited so patiently,
Through pain and tears,
He is now ready for the wedding
To begin.

His bride he has accepted and
He longs to receive her hand,
He is traveling again
to an awesome land.

His ring is mercy, love, and grace,
His cloak is simple and easy to embrace.
His walk is slow but steady for the day
When his bride is ready to take his hand and say,
"Rejoice, for my savior has come.
Look up, for thy Lord's will shall be done."

The wedding bells ring
Around the nations they are heard,
The echoes of the ringing are carried through the wind
For the wedding shall soon begin.

We will kneel and bow our heads,
We will worship the great King of our Land,
We will rejoice and shout for joy
And watch the son take his bride by the hand.

He has come to heal a nation
His glory will shine for all on earth to see,
The Prince of Peace takes his place
And we cry, "Lord, My King, We Will Worship Thee!"

The ringing is so glorious
That the angels bow down and pray,
And the apostles bow down and take their place
And the saints rise up and say.

Glory be to the great I Am, Glory be to the King of Kings
Glory by to the Maker of the Universe, Glory be to the Son of God,
Glory be to the Father, our God, How we have worshiped Thee!"

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I cannot type this one without crying...I have not re-read it until now, 7 years later....I am moved in spirit and in love...this one is by far the hardest to read...I am humbled...this one was written after my 3rd visit to Father Manny ...Beckon the Birds, first and only after my first visit with Father Manny in 1992, then years later I saw him again, and I wrote hundreds, including this one.
This poem came very, very quickly and I could never read it without crying and do not really know why.  I did not know yet about the meaning of "bride" in the Bible, not fully anyway.  I did much research in my Bible after writing this one to understand this poem which, I must say, made me cry more.