And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.
And while they were there, the time came for her to be delivered. And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear.
And the angel said to them, "Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger."
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!"
– Luke 2:4-14
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Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him."
[…]
and lo, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy; and going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.
[…]
Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, was in a furious rage, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time which he had ascertained from the wise men.
– Matthew 2:1-16
Season of giving
Merry Christmas to youAnd to your family tooIn this season of givingMay God’s peace be with you
Christ was born to be our SaviorAnd to be the King of KingsThat is what the Angels toldThe shepherds in the fields that night
Wise Men came to see the babyBorn in little BethlehemWrapped in swaddling clothes inside a mangerTo María and José
Frankincense and myrrh and goldWere the gifts the Wise Men broughtFrom the orient they cameFollowing a wondrous star
Jesus, little baby JesusHerod sought to vanquish theeMany innocents were slaughteredMay their souls eternally rest in peace
Hear our prayers, O baby JesusLying in your manger cribPlease protect us from our demonsGive us strength to battle sin
Merry Christmas to youAnd to your family tooIn this season of givingMay God’s peace be with you
This is a small Christmas gift for my readers. It is a poem I wrote, which I dedicate to all of you. (Granted it is a little early, but I'm not good at hiding presents.) I hope you will enjoy and that these seasons of Advent and Christmas will bring many blessings upon you.
[This poem is an original work and is copyrighted 2010. Please let me know if you would like to share it by leaving a comment. Thanks, Michael.]
UPDATE: I added some verses from Luke and Matthew that speak of the birth of Jesus. Specifically, the verses about the appearance of the Angels to the shepherds, and that tell us about the Three Wise Men.
ReplyDeleteThank you, what a lovely poem and picture! Beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThanks Mary Jean. And you're very welcome.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful poem! That is a lovely Christmas gift. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteHi Ride. Thanks. I hope you read it to your Mom. Like all poetry, it's really meant to be read out loud so that you can discover the rhythm of the words.
ReplyDeleteI originally meant this to be the lyrics to a song. But I wasn't able to come up with a suitable melody. Then I decided the words could stand on their own as a poem. I'm glad to hear that both you and Mary Jean agree.
Merry Christmas!