For the past 20+ years, I've devoted unhurried time to give Jesus a present for Christmas ... via a poem that, I hope, honors Him. In celebration of His birth 2,000 years ago, I offer my best effort for 2022. May our Savior – who came as a baby – return soon.
¹Saddled ‘top three lumpy camels—
Dromedary V.I.P.s,
Ride the Magi of the Eastland,
Logging miles beyond the Seas.¹
²Lumb’ring on without a compass,
Navigating by one star;
Which appears a brilliant spotlight
On horizon, from afar.
³Happ’ning on a hillside hamlet,
Little town of Bethlehem;
Ask King Herod, “Where’s the Infant?”²
Baby King, who summoned them.
⁴Saddlebags spill forth their treasures,
Precious gifts, from connoisseurs:
One is gold, another incense,
And a third, the resin ‘myrrh.’
⁵Gift of Gold, foretells a Royal,
Frankincense, bespeaks of God;
But why Myrrh, a spice to bury,
For an infant … rather odd?³
⁶Decades hence, the Myrrh will matter,
When this boy becomes a man;
When he trades his life for many,
Buried in God’s Masterplan.
⁷Toting Myrrh and other aloes,
Joe and Nick, pallbearers be;
Wrap our Lord in heavy spices,
Then entomb him, all for free.⁴
⁸Three days lapse, the Earth is shaken,
The great stone is rolled away;
And arise! The King victor'ous,
From death’s manger where He lay.
⁹Looking back, we see a baby,
Given gifts, this Son of Man;
That declare God’s hidden myst’ry,
By three men, in caravan.
¹⁰He who gave the greatest present,
Hung upon the Christmas Tree,
Is the Star that crowns its apex,
Is the Light of Galilee.⁵
¹¹Long ago, such wise men sought Him,
Recognized the King of Kings.
Swaddled tight and incognito,
Born the Lamb,⁶ redemption brings.
¹²So today, what will we offer
To this King ‘twas born to die?
Once again, ours lives surrendered,
Is our gift, to Christ on high.
¹³Won’t be long, until He comes back,
And He takes His rightful throne;⁷
While we’re waiting, let’s remember
That our lives are not our own.⁸
"You are not your own, for you were bought at a price."⁸
The King has come! He will return!
Footnotes/References
