The Birth of Jesus

 

Out on the Judean hills where shepherds watched their sheep,

There came a brilliant light piercing through the darkness deep;

Hosts of angels had descended to tell of the Saviour’s birth,

Good tidings and great salvation and peace to all on earth.

Fear not said the angel for unto you the Savior has come,

None other than Christ the Lord who is God’s eternal Son;

They found the baby Jesus in the stable where he was born,

With Mary, his mother and Joseph that first Christmas morn.

Next there were the wise men that journeyed from afar,

All the way to Herod’s palace while guided by the star;

Herod attempted to fool them and feigned a spirit of worship,

But the wise men warned in a dream had given him the slip.

They gave the baby gifts and worshipped during their stay,

Then returned to their homelands by going another way;

Gold, frankincense and myrrh were the gifts they gave to him,

Each one had a meaning for the one that saves from sin.

The gold was given to the baby to show Jesus as their king,

Frankincense to show his priesthood the one of whom we sing;

Myrrh to anoint his body the death he would die for all,

And salvation bring to many who on his name would call.

  

The wise men never returned thus Herod was hot with rage,

“Kill every child under two and all them that be that age!”

Joseph took them to Egypt after he was warned in a dream,

And only returned to Nazareth after Herod was off the scene.

In accordance with the law they journeyed to Jerusalem,

There they met a devout man whose name was Simeon;

Shown that he would see the Christ before he met his death,

Right in the temple court that day he drew him to his chest.

His eyes had seen God’s salvation prepared for all people,

A light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of Israel;

A blessing he gave to the parents and also the little child,

In his arms he held our Saviour, so gentle, so meek, so mild.

There was the prophetess Anna, the daughter of Phanuel,

She was eighty years and four and living in the temple;

When she saw the child she rejoiced with exultation,

Giving thanks to God for the redemption of Jerusalem.

An Extract from the Bible in Poetry

Stewart Russell (c) 2016