Posts tagged with “Christmas”
Christmas poems
Posted at 7:37 PM
Given that I’ve been posting so much poetry recently (and following a challenge to write all my entries in verse) I decided I’d try to write my own Christmas poem. The first attempt wasn’t very good, but I thought the second and third would be worth posting. (Critique welcomed! I know they’re not perfect.)
One of the recurring themes about my Christmases is noticing how the incredible familiarity of the story (made so through nativity plays and twee carols) often masking the reality, which should be life-changing. The first poem is my attempt to convey this.
Again: the same old story, blandly told;
The shepherds, come to praise the new born King;
The wise men, with their frankincense and gold;
A children’s tale; a cute, pathetic thing.
Again we come to celebrate the birth
Of Christ – and yet, it leaves us cold.
For what’s an infant in our world of hurt?
How can a child heal wounds? Not one year old!
But God became a child, took on our flesh
And in his body takes away our sin.
The man who calls to people: “Come and rest!”
Is crowned the Lord of all, yet calls us kin!
Again, we bow the knee in awe and praise.
For God himself, as man, came down to save.
The second, a more traditional reflection on Hebrews 1:1-4 and Hebrews 2:5-18.
The Wisdom, the eternal Word of God,
Before whom one day every knee will bow,
The King of all creation, Jesse’s rod,
Who made the heavens above, the sea below,
And all between: yet man alone he blessed,
And chose on him his image to bestow -
What mystery! This God now takes our flesh;
Weak limitation – in our nature clothed;
Became our brother; spurning majesty
To live a perfect life as Adam’s race;
So then to break the chain of slavery
To sin and death, by dying in our place.
Now raised to glory, crowned, his victory won -
Him we proclaim: Christ, God’s incarnate Son.
A very happy Christmas to you all.