When the Rooster Crowed

I know how Peter felt when thrice the rooster crowed,

And his master's anguished eyes pierced his very soul;
How his heart seared with guilt and pain,
When he knew his dearest friend he had betrayed.

He was the man who always stood by a friend,
So to Jesus he swore his faithfulness,
Treachery and betrayal were that he despised, 
And loyalty and valour were his chief delight.

Man of great courage and strength, who said,
He would follow Jesus even to death,
When the time had come to make a stand,
He denied the name that he pledged to love.

Oh, to Peter there was no greater disgrace, than
To desert him who came to save the souls of men
A pitiful taint and blot on fleshly pride, that,
Timid, he fled when Jesus was crucified!

Then the rooster crowed and Peter's heart,
Shook with great, fierce grief and shame,
As it dawned on that poor, wretched soul,
That he had no strength or might of his own.

For all that he loved and held worthy in self,
Was shattered to the ground in final death,
Only the crushing weight of loathing remained,
As he beheld his great unworthiness.

How the scales fell from Peter's eyes,
As he saw himself in true and holy light,
Though he lied to save himself- that night,
On the cross with Jesus, he was crucified!

And this is the prayer we pray today,
Though strange, to the world it may,
That our selves, our strengths and pride,
Might be crucified on the Cross of Christ.

Then though awful shadows swathe the heart,
In that final death, lasting life is won,
And to sin and flesh we are slaves no more,
For in our broken selves, the Risen Christ will dwell!