Wednesday, December 24, 2008

A Christmas Eve Reading



Nativity Poem
c1981 Susan Noyes Anderson

We all have heard the story; it's been told and then retold,
about the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem of old.
Yet every Christmastide the tale bears telling once again,
as we reflect on that sweet Babe, born to redeem all men.
A decree went out from Caesar, and so it came to pass,
that Joseph and sweet Mary went to David to be taxed.
Though Mary journeyed wearily, for she was great with child,
when Joseph wept to see her pain, she looked at him and smiled:
"Fear not for me, dear husband, among women I am blessed,
but now my time draws near, and we must find a place to rest."
In desperate need of shelter, they pushed on to Bethlehem,
only to find the inns were full; no room was offered them.
Still Joseph knocked on every door till one innkeeper said,
"Seek refuge in my stable. Here's some straw to make a bed."
And Mary gratefully sank down into that new-mown hay
and gave birth to the Savior that first, sacred Christmas day.
A shining star rose in the sky above that holy place,
as Mary gazed upon her Child and touched His radiant face.
The shepherds and the wise men came, led by that glorious star,
and angels sang out praises as they journeyed from afar.
They somehow knew the Child was sent to bring the world His light,
and their hearts were filled with wonder as they looked on Him that night.
So was our Lord and Savior born, in humble majesty,
to save us from our earthly sins and seal our destiny.
On this and every Christmas Day, we thank  the Lord above
for sending our Redeemer to bless us with His love.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OF YOU!

7 comments:

Snarky Belle said...

May I have your permission to read this to my children before bed tonight? Once again, beauty found in your words! Thank you for sharing.

Lisa Loo said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Lisa Loo said...

That was odd--an old comment I wrote on someone elses blog came up when I pushed the submit button!

I just wanted to take a minute a tell you how much I admire your gift. Your words always speak to my heart--I feel like maybe we have kindred hearts. I don't always leave comments but I read all your posts and I want to thank you for being so generous to share your gift with all of us.
I,too, wanted to see if I could get permission to share this with my family tonight and the last post also? I love the music you chose also--I have that album so I will play that with the reading.
Isn't it wonderful when those moments come where your family is all in a happy spot and your heart sings??!! Merry Christmas Eve and Happy Holidays!

grandma shepherd said...

Oh my, your writing reminds me of Sue. Don't we miss her? She would love your blog.

A Beautiful Mess said...

If it is ok with you, I would love to share your poem at my YSA ward Christmas Dinner/party. It that ok?

A Beautiful Mess said...

If it is ok with you, I would love to share your poem at my YSA ward Christmas Dinner/party. It that ok?

grandma shepherd said...

I'm just revisiting your Christmas Eve Reading. Your words are so perfectly woven. They send a spirit with them that strengthens my testimony. Thanks for sharing!