Years ago I received the gift of a Christmas book of nativity pictures–Mary praying, Mary with Joseph, the Holy Family with the shepherds, Mary holding Jesus, a whole book of beautiful pictures with no captions, no words at all. I decided to write poems for each picture. I’d like to share with you four of these poems.
The first one accompanies a picture of Mary wrapping her baby boy in cloths as He lies in a hay-filled manger:
The First Christmas
Just a tiny baby,
And a mother very young.
But the whole world is blessed
Because of this man child.
Men came miles to worship
And Mary, seeing all,
“Pondered these things in her heart,”
And she, too, worshipped.
The second one I’ll share accompanies a picture of the wise men approaching the humble stable:
The Wise Men’s Song
Here’s the Babe we’ve sought so long,
Here’s the newborn king.
Oh, let us shout and praise the Lord!
Oh, let us worship Him!
Here are gifts we’ve brought to Him,
The best we knew to bring.
We’ve gold, frankincense, and myrrh
For the little Jesus King.
Though our bodies are weary of miles
And our feet are very sore,
‘Tis nothing now we’ve found the King
Prophesied so long before.
The third poem accompanies a picture of a circle of children with the happiest faces imaginable looking down on the Holy Infant:
The Children’s Song
Isn’t He a precious baby?
See His little hands and feet!
May I help to bathe Him some?
Can I help Him eat?
All babies are sweet and pretty
And fun to bounce on your knee.
But this Baby is different.
There’s a light in His face, see?
The fourth poem is clipped to a picture of a sorrowful Jesus as He might have looked when he wept over Jerusalem:
The Man Jesus
Such sickness of souls as there is everywhere.
Sickness of souls everywhere.
Could they but see the mistakes they are making
Oh, could they but see!
There is cruelty in their hearts
And lust in their minds
And hatred for all but their own.
But it’s because they don’t understand.
They just don’t understand.
They think they made themselves.
They think they made the world or it just happened.
They just don’t understand.
Searching, seeking people, looking for understanding,
Aren’t you weary of seeking?
Aren’t you ready to trust and to believe?
“Come unto me, ye who are heavy laden,
And I will give you rest.”
Pens and Needles 