And, sitting down, they watched him there,

The soldiers did;

There, while they played with dice,

And, sitting down, they watched him there,

The soldiers did;

There, while they played with dice,

He made his sacrifice,

And died upon the cross to rid

God’s world of sin.

He was a gambler too, my Christ,

He took his life and threw

It for a world redeemed.

And ere his agony was done,

Before the westering sun went down,

Crowning that day with its crimson crown,

He knew that he had won.

G.A. Studdert Kennedy (1883-1929), The Wicket Gate, 1923.

He made his sacrifice,

And died upon the cross to rid

God’s world of sin.

He was a gambler too, my Christ,

He took his life and threw

It for a world redeemed.

And ere his agony was done,

Before the westering sun went down,

Crowning that day with its crimson crown,

He knew that he had won.

G.A. Studdert Kennedy (1883-1929), The Wicket Gate, 1923.