King Herod

 

 

I was that king

At the time of his birth,

Some said that this was the time

When God came to earth.

 

Emmanuel, they said,

Meaning God with us

And they said that the baby’s name

Was Jesus.

 

 Magi came inquiring

Where he may be found

But as far as I knew at the time

One king was around.

 

This was yours truly,

Herod the Great,

The king I suppose the people

Loved to hate.

 

I was ruthless and evil

And had my own way,

You would remember the massacre

I caused in that day.

 

All the male babies

I had decreed to die,

All of them two years and under,

Dare any defy!

 

 

 

I had fooled the magi,

At least, I thought so

But my expectation of their return

Was a no-show.

 

Worship whom?

A nondescript baby?

Me?  The great and mighty Herod?

Are you crazy?

 

Do not blame me

For what I did that day,

Charge those magi from the east

Who went another way.

 

Be in my shoes,

What would you have done?

Just quietly abdicate the throne

And cowardly run?

 

 

 

Well, not me, Herod,

Unless it was Caesar,

The Roman god-like Emperor

Who had so ordered.

 

Get the order right!

It was him and then me,

And besides, no one in the palace

Knew about this baby.

 

I tried to slay him

But I must admit I failed,

All my soldiers failed miserably

In this sordid detail.

 

 

 

One piece of information

That Herod did not give

Was that an angel had told Joseph

He no longer lived.

 

So, Herod met his demise

Like all earthly kings

However, Jesus is alive forever

And salvation brings.

 

Stewart Russell © December 16, 2025

 

That Time of Year

 

 

It’s that time of the year

When we spread good cheer

Among the old and the young,

To the weak and the strong.

 

That time of the year

When Christmas draws near,

When with heightened care,

Goodwill does appear.

 

A feeling to draw closer

To the ones that we love

And lift our hearts in thanksgiving

To the One above…

 

That made it all possible

By His Son, the Lord Jesus-

And his name shall be Emmanuel

Meaning God with us.

 

 

That time of the year

When we focus on the gift

From the Father of our Saviour,

To heal sin’s rift.

 

A renewed relationship

Of eternal dimensions,

Compliments of Jehovah Jireh,

Of so great salvation!

 

Yes, there in that manger,

In that animal stall,

Almighty God could do no better

Than to give His all.

 

 

It’s that time of year

When we reflect on such

And come to the gripping realization

That God has given much.

 

Much without measure:

The measure of His love,

Revealed by angels to shepherds

As they sang from above.

 

Glory to God in the Highest

And on earth, peace!

For God so loved that He gave us

A love that will never cease.

 

In our hustle and bustle

To enjoy this yuletide,

May we invite Jesus into our heart

Where he wants to reside.

 

It is that time of year!

I wish it would never go

But in order for it to come again,

It would have to be so.

 

Enjoy to the fullest!

Have a godly day!

Total enjoyment can only be had

If Jesus has his way.

 

Stewart Russell © December 9, 2024

 

Immaculate vs Incarnate

 

 

Two words I shall deal with

That are not even nearly alike

Yet some believers confuse them

And don’t get them right.

 

One of these is immaculate

While the other is incarnate:

They make good rhyming words

But let’s get it straight…

 

They are not synonyms

And I mean, not by a long shot,

For some I might be nitpicking

But I can’t let this drop.

 

Immaculate means perfect

And while this is very true

It is not the same as incarnate

As is some people’s view.

 

I would be the first to agree

That neither is in God’s Word

But please follow me carefully

Before calling me absurd.

 

Some hold the virgin Mary

In very high esteem

And I could not disagree with this

When I review the nativity scene.

 

Jesus’ birth was on this wise

In Bethlehem’s town

As angels announced to shepherds

With glorious sound.

 

Emmanuel was his name

Meaning God is with us:

God reconciling the world to Himself

Through His Son, Jesus.

 

Thus, the incarnation:

Almighty God is come in the flesh!

To which the birth of His Son

Undoubtedly attest.

 

 

In the incarnation

The emphasis is on the Christ

And this looks forward to the time

Regarding his sacrifice.

 

His cradle preceded the cross

On which he would die,

There for the sins of the world

He was crucified.

 

Joseph was by the angel informed

Fear not to take Mary to wife

For it was the Holy Ghost

That in her had placed that life.

 

This was spoken of Jesus

And not of the virgin Mary

Who, by the way, the Bible shows

Could not be a virgin perpetually.

 

 

Mary had sons and daughters

After Jesus was born

So, all who claim perpetual virginity,

Please be warned!

 

Mary was not under sin’s curse

Some denominations hold

But are unable to show in the Bible

Where this unfolds.

 

We know she was a virgin

For she had not known a man

But she too, as the Bible implies,

Needed redemption’s plan.

 

 

She was not perfect

As the word immaculate implies

And even the mother of Christ

For her too he was crucified.

 

Stewart Russell © May 17, 2021

 

The Sign of All the Ages

 

 

Behold a virgin shall conceive

And behold, it was so!

“Twas the sign of all the ages

This we all should know.

 

The single most important event

In all of earth’s history,

This sign given by the prophet Isaiah

Of the Messiah’s nativity.

 

For had Jesus not come

There would have been no crucifixion,

And, by extension I dare say,

No resurrection or ascension.

 

Behold!

A virgin shall be with child

According to the Gospel of Matthew,

Quoting from Isaiah the prophet

As the event came into view.

 

The sign of all the ages

As God came to live among men

Never mind as the narrative showed,

He was rejected by most of them.

 

A virgin shall bring forth a son

A male child, if you please,

And this is especially significant as well

Given today’s gender dis-ease.

 

 

Some are not happy being male

And some frown on being female,

Transgenderism is rife as a consequent

Thus, making for a sorry tale.

 

This tale of human degradation,

An affront to the Creator, God

Who created humans in his own image

As is acknowledge before the fall.

 

For, ‘twas this fall that started

The degradation of man

And God in His flawless foreknowledge

Initiated the redemption plan.

 

Paradise lost then paradise regain!

Banished, then reinstated!

God with man is now residing,

Emmanuel thus being interpreted.

 

 

And they shall call his name,

Emmanuel!

The greatest sign of all the ages!

God dwells among His people.

 

We treat to it as though it’s passed

But it continues even today,

Jesus makes his abode with them

That has found him as the way.

 

The way, the truth and the life:

The promise he has made to all

If only they accept this great salvation

In response to his clarion call.

 

The sign of all the ages

Conceptualized in eternity,

A virgin shall conceive and bear a child

As established in history.

  

Isaiah prophesied the event,

While Matthew walked with the Lord,

John with clarity announced

He came to save the world.

 

 

For God so loved that He sent…

It’s the one text that most know,

The greatest sign of all the ages

Please, I beg you, let it show

 

Today marks the 1^st of December,

We are in the Christmas tide,

‘Tis the season of goodwill endeavor

As we remember the Holy Child.

 

Stewart Russell © December 1, 2022