Christmas Poem 7: Immanuel

20 years ago, I began a tradition of writing a poem to Jesus for Christmas. It seemed the least I could do for Him, who gave His life for me.

Here is poem #7, which I wrote in December, 2016!

Immanuel: God With Us!

(Like a Baby in a manger, sometimes the smallest things are the most important.)

¹I have a proposition,
For the reader of this poem;
That you’d mull a preposition
That makes Christmas our shalom.

²Now, I’m not an English Ph.D.,
Though I love a well-worn book;
But sometimes obscure, little words
Deserve a second look.

³Prepositions precede phrases
Launched by in or on or to;
They may seem insignificant
Without a closer view.

⁴Which leads me to my thesis —
That one of them’s Divine;
'With' is the word, without which,
The Savior wouldn’t shine.

⁵But, let’s start at the beginning,
When a garden held a man;
Whose existential ‘loneness
God corrected with ‘woman.’¹

⁶Next, we unearth ol' Enoch
Who the holy Scriptures claim:
“He walked with God” sincerely,
And was taken home one day.²

⁷Our fathers, Abe and Isaac,
God had promised He would keep;
“I’ll be with you, and I’ll bless you,”³
“I’ll never slumber, never sleep.”⁴

⁸Dreamer Joseph galled his brothers,
Who then sold him far away;
“The Lord was with him,” it is written;⁵
Through young Joseph, saved the day.

⁹AWOL Moses feared the Pharaoh,
“Who am I that I should go?”
God assured his troubled shepherd,
“I’ll be with you, even so.”⁶

¹⁰Two pillars led them forward,
Cloud by day and fire by night;⁷
God promised to stay with them;
Never let them out of sight.

¹¹God spoke through old Isaiah,
“Do not fear, for I’m with you,
I’ll strengthen, and I’ll help you,
I’ll uphold you, through and through.”⁸

¹²Isn’t “God with you” sufficient?
If not, reader lend an ear;
For the next words will persuade you
That to Him you’re very dear.

¹³When the Gospels shout the coming
Of the promised Son of God,
“His name will be ‘Immanuel,’ —
God with us,”⁹ — no mere facade.

¹⁴On the day of His departing,
When King Jesus would ascend;
He commissioned with a promise:
“I am with you to the end.”¹⁰

¹⁵This puny preposition,
— just four letters and a dot;
Connects a band of brothers¹¹
With the Savior’s Camelot.

¹⁶Now when you see a wee word,
Preposition, without clout,
Don’t miss the simple lesson:
A with is not without.

¹⁷With … connects us to the Father,
With … calls us ‘brother’ to the Son,
With … indwells us by the Spirit,
With … depicts the Three-in-One.

¹⁸Christmas is a simple story
And, though old, it’s not a myth,
Of the God who chose to rescue,
And sent Jesus to be With.

“All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel — which means, “God with us.”¹²

Merry Christmas & Happy Birthday, Jesus.

Bible References:

Next, Christmas Poem 8: The Christmas Treasure in the Field

Christmas Poem 7: Immanuel - God With Us!

Dan Flynn

Immanuel: God With Us!