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 #8, which I wrote in December, 2018!
The Christmas Treasure in the Field
“The Kingdom of God is like Treasure hidden in a Field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that Field.” Matthew 13:44
¹How do you start an anthem,
Simple poem for a King,
When every word is borrowed
From the One who made all things?
²For like a child who buys a gift
For Dad and Mommy-dear,
He spends his Parents’ money
On their present, it’s quite clear.
³And so this year, I contemplate
The words that fill my mind,
And offer back to Him who gives
Them Rhythm and their Rhyme.
⁴In days long past, the Savior told
The story of a man,
Who plodded through a pasture
Trudging by, without a plan.
⁵When the Pilgrim caught a sparkle
Of a gem that gleamed aground,
He stopped to re-examine
What on earth his eyes had found.
⁶And bending to the glimmer,
Half-buried in the Field,
The glint of shiny brill’ance
Seized his notice, and he kneeled.
⁷The glitter was a foretaste
of a Treasure trove of wealth,
Cracking wide the coffer’s cover —
Instant economic health!
⁸Reburying the strongbox,
Hurtling home in quite a rush,
Adding up his varied assets,
Liquidating stocks and trusts.
⁹Then running to the Realtor,
He paid the “asking price,”
Costing everything he’d treasured,
To purchase Paradise.
¹⁰Bounding back, the gleeful owner,
Of the field, and all within,
Unearthed the box of Treasure,
To examine it again.
¹¹Within the wooden carton,
Lay the Treasure of the earth;
He hugged his prized possession
Like he’d had a second birth.
¹² 'Twas better than he’d hoped for,
Everything inside the chest,
That his heart had ever longed for,
As he gazed upon God’s Best.
¹³And now my friendly reader,
Why did Jesus tell this lore,
Of a man who found a treasure,
Selling all, to own much more?
¹⁴It’s because the box discovered
In the field contained a thing,
That’s more valuable than silver,
gold or diamonds, bogus ‘bling.’
¹⁵The chest contained a treasure
Of a Person — who’s the Prize —
Nestled warmly in the manger,
Baby King, in bright disguise.
¹⁶Yes, Jesus is the Treasure
In the Field we each walk through,
And I wonder if you see it,
And I’m hoping that you do.
¹⁷The jewel unearthed in Bethlehem,
Within the manger lay,
He is the Only Treasure,
Will you sell your all, today?
“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” — Luke 2:11-12
Merry Christmas & Happy Birthday, Jesus.
PS. This Christmas, may we know that in possessing nothing, we own Everything. Jesus is everything our heart longs for. False-saviors abound, promising comfort, security, approval. They are vacant of veracity. Only Jesus, the Treasure in the Field, is true wealth. I hope today you realize that, in Jesus, you have greater wealth than the heads of Microsoft, Apple, and Amazon ... combined!
Next, Christmas Poem 9: Rescue on Christmas Mountain