It is Christmas. We are often fixated on just the birth of Jesus, we sometimes forget that the cradle was leading to the cross. His birth was to facilitate His death. Bethlehem was necessary so He could go to Calvary. And He is no longer a tiny helpless baby in a manger that we will rock to sleep as we sing some lullaby.
The wise men (were they really three? See Matthew 2:1-12) brought 3 gifts, I bring you 3 poems this Christmas. My song for the season is “Mary, Did You Know?” by Pentatonix.
Emmanuel Has Come
A cradle in a stable
No wool or cotton for a soft pillow
Maybe some hay and clothes for a swaddle
Was this not too much for them to handle?
Not in the birthing room of a palace or a castle
He came like a stranger in a manger
Born in little Bethlehem, the only lights could have been a lamp or a candle
Divinity had come to humanity but not with a swagger
A child born
A Son given
Our Saviour had come
Emmanuel made good on His name
No lavish parade or trumpets blaring
No elite company to welcome our King
Just bleating sheep and some cattle lowing
With a few peasant shepherds who had no gifts to bring
Can you feel the travails of young Mary?
Or the anxiety of pious Joseph?
Imagine the amazement of the shepherds in the fields
When excited angels lit the heavens with their chorus
The Almighty God came in flesh
Son of man, Son of God!
Our Saviour has come
Emmanuel-God with us, that’s who He is.
The Essence of Christmas
Not just about the merry making
Beyond the carol singing
More than the exchange of gifts
Or even Santa's bag of goodies
Not just the new clothes or shoes
Or different delicious meals on menus
Beyond all of these
Christmas tells a story that puts the soul at ease
A virgin birthing in a manger
Angels singing in praise and wonder
Shepherds in awe coming in from the field
Wise men from the East presenting gifts at His feet
A baby born in Bethlehem
The Eternal King came without His diadem
Emmanuel, our Saviour had arrived
Our Great God in human flesh appeared
The ease to the soul that the story brings
Is not just about this birth but how it ends
Jesus our Saviour indeed went to Calvary
And there paid the price that saves us eternally
So today we gather and rejoice
Singing with melody in one voice
In praise to our God for all that He has done
Our freedom, our rescue Jesus has won!
More Than Just A Man
Born in a manger
Who could really wager
This little baby in a borrowed crib
Would grow out of a bib and take His place as King?
An ordinary night it seemed
Till the shepherds heard the angels' hymn
Choirs of heaven sang their melody on earth
A sweet refrain at the arrival of the long awaited Messiah
A baby, yes it was a boy that was born
Soon to be a man-more than just a man:
Great Teacher, Miracle Worker, Bondage Breaker;
Satan Slayer, Special Sibling, Sympathetic High Priest, Sin Destroyer,
Sacrificial Substitute, Suffering Saviour, Supreme Deliverer, and our soon returning King
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