At the Foot of the Hill Called Calvary

The night was soft with olive leaves,
the lamps burned low and thin;
And sorrow pressed upon His brow
like thorns yet to begin.

The broken bread, the crimson cup—
we held them in our hands,
Not knowing Love was tracing out
His final, holy plans.

In Gethsemane the shadows fell,
the world grew still with dread;
The very ground beneath His knees
knew every tear He shed.

A whisper trembled through the trees—
Father, Thy will be done;
And heaven watched with breath withheld
as darkness veiled the Son.

Then torches flared and steel drew near,
betrayal kissed His cheek;
The hands that healed were bound that night
by those too blind to seek.

The scourge, the robe, the thorn-woven crown,
the jeering crowd’s disdain—
He bore it all in quiet strength,
a portrait carved in pain.

He walked the road to Calvary,
the rough beam on His back;
Each step was love’s unspoken vow
to bridge the gulf we lack.

And when they nailed Him to the wood,
and lifted Him above,
The sky grew dark, the earth cried out—
creation mourned its Love.

“My God, My God…”—the cry rang out,
a wound no eye could see;
He stood where sinners ought to stand,
abandoned—yet for me.

“It is finished”—heaven heard,
the victory fully won;
And through the veil torn top to base,
the Father called us son.

O Lamb of God, once lifted high,
Thy mercy breaks my pride;
For every drop that stained the hill
still whispers: I have died.

So teach my heart to walk Thy path,
to bear my cross each day;
For love like this is life itself—
and I can choose no way
But Calvary’s, where grace began,
and where Thy light still gleams…
For those who kneel beneath that cross
are held in Love’s redeeming beams.

If this poem stirred something in your heart, remember that the deepest roots grow from God’s Word itself. “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee” (Psalm 119:11). If you’d like simple, practical help in tucking Scripture into memory…

👉 Sign up for the free FAST Crash Course in Bible Memorization: http://fast.st/cc/21419