Peace on Show

 

Peace on earth, good will to men

The message the angels brought

To shepherds attending their flock

Who in haste the manger sought.

Like them too the wise men

Would diligently follow the star

That led them right to Bethlehem

Having journeyed from afar.

Two distinct groups of persons

Lowly shepherds and the wise

Bowing before the baby Jesus

The one whom King Herod despised.

He would have worshipped him too

Or so to the wise men he said

But deep in his evil heart

He rather wished him dead.

A cry was heard in Rama

As prophesied by Jeremiah the prophet

Rachel weeping for her children

Herod was taking care of the threat.

Many young males had perished

In Herod’s quest to vanquish the child

But God protected the Prince of Peace

And Herod’s desire was denied.

To a world of turmoil peace came

At the advent of the Prince of Peace

But just a few would derive the benefit

The Savior had come to release.

It was a peace unknown to a world

That wallowed in war and strife,

All men are equal they said

But evil and envy were rife.

On hearing of the Prince of Peace

Herod feared of losing his kingdom

And therefore plotted at once

To get rid of God’s beloved Son.

  

War trembled at the sight of peace

Like darkness cowering before light,

Evil cringed before His Righteousness

Faith had become the eyes of sight.

At the advent of the Prince of Peace

The kingdom of strife took a blow,

A mortal one in fact it was

God’s Son was placed on show.

Peace on show in a manger lay

Peace on show in Bethlehem

Peace on show on Calvary’s cross

The peace that was crucified by men.

Give us war and give us strife!

Appeared their incessant cry,

Away with the Prince of Peace

Barabbas would satisfy!

Peace on show among the sick

Peace on show among the blind,

This peace on show we present today

Is none other than Jesus, the Divine.

Son of God and Son of man

Into earth’s dimension he came,

King of kings and Lord of lords

The next time he will come to reign.

The culmination of a show begun

In yonder town of Bethlehem

A tourist boom during Caesar’s census

But no room for him in an inn.

A stable only they could provide

But there the shepherds were at home,

Hope for the oppressed, the down and out

And all in a crowd who feel alone.

He wants to be on show in our hearts

That is the stage he came to win,

Unlike the inn keepers of Bethlehem

Open its door and let him come in.

Put him on show for the world to see

As you walk across life’s stage,

Be a light for the Prince of Peace

In this uncertain and darkened age.

Animals still feature at Christmas time

Though not in a Bethlehem’s stable,

The ham, turkey chicken and pork

Are delights of the Christmas table.

There is still the tourist boom

As many of them come in from the cold

And the merchants in our many stores

Rejoice at what they have sold.

Christmas is a show of lights and trees

Celebrated by the high and low

But here is an entreaty to everyone

Please, this Christmas, put Jesus on show!

Stewart Russell © December 2017