Christos Invictus

By I.M. Ulysses

Out of the pit that held him
Rose the captain of my soul
With the price of sin now paid for
The Father raised Him whole

Above the grave beneath Him
In Holy Light was shown
Our Risen Lord and Saviour
As God Himself had sworn

Death could not contain Him
Though satan did his worst
Passing judgment on the Lamb
Which then Our Lord reversed

Alive, now and forever
The King of Glory reigns
Enthroned with God in Heaven
With Him our hope remains

No more to face corruption
Christ's work on Earth has ceased
For all repentant sinners
From death He has released

Someday He'll be returning
With shout of victory won
Arrayed in God's own glory
The Lord, the King, and Son

He'll put down death forever
And give the devil his due
When on the throne of David
His word on Earth shall rule

Groaning now in silence
We watch and guard the night
Looking ever skyward
For His face shining bright

With power and with glory
He'll come to liberate us
The day when evil's trampled
And Christ's shown Invictus.

For my Saviour, 
the unconquerable Jesus Christ,
the Son of the Living God. Amen
                 &
Belatedly, to Ken Hancock,
January 13, 1953 – October 25, 2016,
An employer, a counsellor, a friend, and a 
kind, caring soul. May God grant that we
should meet again, when death itself 
is destroyed. Amen!

Ken, Barb, Mary and I, Brisco, BC, July 2011

Written on my Heart

By I.M. Ulysses

How can I say this
How may I try
Without you I'm empty
With you, I can fly

From the moment we first met
Till evening's last kiss
I had been waiting
For this happiness

Is there a moment
Can there be a time
When you will not question
That your heart is still mine

From ancient of days
Before Earth began
We had been joined
By eternal command

It took years of searching
And many shed tears
As I tried to find you
Throughout those long years

But now that you're here
Our world's been set right
The search is over
As day turns to night

At rest now with the evening
We rise to greet the dawn
Rejoicing now together
That we have become one

What I was before
I truly do not know
Like a ship without an anchor
I was adrift and all alone

Then one day you found me
In the midst of my despair
And brought hope to a life
That once seemed so unfair

And now we are together
And the old life is now gone
Like waking from a nightmare
When the new day has begun

With hope in God to guide us
Our lives will not slip past
Until Christ's seen victorious
And we both breathe our last

And on that day, when it does come
I hope that you will see
The greatest joy in all my life
Was the love you gave to me

A soldier, and a Watchman
These things I am also
But at your side I'll always be
Because I love you so

Clothed with great authority
From God's own hand on high
I'll be your shield from evil
For now and for all time

That is now my mission
And this I do remember
The moment that we took those vows
On that day in September

Slumbering at the daybreak
Your head to me now turns
And I caress it gently
As the morning sun returns

A new day has awoken
With a blue sky far above
All of which reminds me
Of the pledge we said in love

Heaven was a witness
When those great words were uttered
In the place where, long before
The guns of war had sputtered

Declared now and forever
These words cannot depart
Inscribed not just on paper
But written, on my heart.

For my bride, Marion.