Shalom

 

 

The way one Jew greets another

And how some Christians do,

Neither is speaking Greek nor English

But in fact, Hebrew.

 

It is a Hebraic expression

But has made its way into English

And is becoming more and more popular

As a born-again believer’s wish.

 

Shalom, meaning God’s peace,

This day be upon you,

Not the peace that the world gives

But of a heavenly world view.

 

It’s the peace of the blessed Christ

That came down at Bethlehem

When angels announced it to shepherds

And later was received by wise men.

 

 

It’s the peace that fills the heart

Of all of the born-again,

Meaning all of both Jew and Gentile

Who dare to trust in Jesus’s name.

 

For everyone that trusts in Christ

Dares to oppose the world,

The philosophy and the policies of which

Naturally oppose God’s Word.

 

A peace that passes understanding

That the world cannot give

And a peace it can never take away

From any that in Jesus Christ live.

 

 

Peace on earth and goodwill!

These words still echo in my ear,

That such peace is needed in this world,

To me is abundantly clear.

 

We fight for peace with weapons:

Weapons of mass destruction,

For the peace that this world seeks

Is one of domination.

 

That is, the weak over the strong,

The rich dominating the poor

And when it comes to ethnic cleansing

The world’s peace is a closed door.

 

However, in stark contrast,

Is the peace of the Prince of Peace,

Jesus offers this peace to one and all

That would from their own way cease.

 

 

May the shalom peace of Jesus Christ,

Permit me to be redundant,

Rest on our war-torn world this day,

Particularly on all the repentant.

 

Shalom

 

Stewart Russell © March 10, 2025

 

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

A Christmas Summary

For some Christmas is a bottle

A simple bottle of rum,

As soon as that bottle is empty

Christmas for them is done.

For some Christmas is a rush

A rush to get things done,

A host of things to accomplish

Before Christmas day is come.

For some Christmas is a rest

A rest from their busy ways,

A chance to relax and reflect

During the Christmas holidays. 

  

Then Christmas is new things

For some it is simply that,

They change whatever they can

Then sit back and relax.

For some it is getting together

With friends and family,

Eats, drinks and fun galore

Highlight their festivity.

For children it’s an opportunity

To frolic and to play,

To enjoy their presents and toys

And eat lots on Christmas day.

The outfit for some is primary

Bedecked in the latest fashion,

At church and Queen’s Park

They parade with passion.

The house is a point of interest

Especially for the female,

She runs herself ragged

Trying to catch another sale.

For some Christmas is the lights

On buildings and Christmas trees,

The beauty that's displayed 

Is pleasing to all of these.

The doctors cash in too

But theirs mostly come after

Christmas eating and drinking,

More patients is doctor’s laughter

Merchants too have their share

You don’t have to guess,

The more money leaves our pockets

The more they are impressed.

Christmas for the vagrant

Finds him on his street

And the spirit of Christmas goodwill

Supplies him with lots to eat.

Undertakers, I’m not too sure

How they fit into the mix,

Christmas for them could be

Those patients the doctors didn’t fix.

Christmas for some is that chance

To do what’s otherwise a chore,

It is one of the few times

That they “darken a church door”.

Christmas is that special time

The needy anticipate each year

As organisations reach out to them

With loads of Christmas cheer.

Christmas for the butcher

Could be the death of many pigs

As he supplies the ham and pork

For the various Christmas gigs.

Christmas for a church pastor

Could be a church that’s full,

Compliments of Christmas programmes

Attracting many people.

For some it’s really a bother

Their religion can’t accommodate,

Wedding anniversaries they keep up

But Jesus’ birth they won’t celebrate.

But still there are others

Who’ve experienced the “new birth”,

Christmas reminds of the time

That Jesus came to this earth

The trappings of the season

Still matter to many of these

But above and beyond these frills

Is the acceptance of the “Prince of Peace”.

Stewart Russell © 2015