[Faith-talk] Daily Thought for Friday, December 20, 2013

[Paul]

Hello and good day to you all.  Well, it's only five days before Christmas, and I hope that your plans are either underway or completed to celebrate His birth ultimately, and secondarily that you are either in the process of preparing gifts to share with those you love or have them with you, just waiting to give them to those particular people in your life whom you cherish.

How many of us like bargains? Well, we've a bargain for you, three for the price of one.  In this case it's three short poems that I'd like to present to you today.

The first one is entitled "When Heaven Touched Earth" by Shirley Hile Powell and is rendered as follows:

God's holy angels visited Earth
On that first Christmas Day.
The brightest star in Heaven glows
Where first the Christ Child lay.

A magical, awesome feeling
Must have filled the air.
There was a hint of something special
That touched everywhere.
This wondrous day of Christmas
When we celebrate our Savior's birth
Is the special day when God allowed
Heaven to touch the earth.

May we accept the gift of love
That this holy day imparts
And may the glorious angels sing
In Heaven and in our hearts.

And there is Poem Number One.  For some reason which I cannot fathom, my source omitted the title of the next poem, but it was written by Florence Howery Loddy and is rendered as follows:

Bright December, we salute you,
Hallowed month of all the year,
Filling hearts with love and gladness
With your gifts of hope and cheer.
Month of ending and beginning,
Wonders of the Christmastide,
Crystal snowflakes earthward drifting;
Dark scars of the old year hide.

Lighted tapers on an altar
Spreading hope o'er all the earth.
As your songs of adoration
Crown with love our Savior's birth.
Radiant star in dark sky glowing
Hangs low over David's town,
Where a babe laid in a manger
Wore a bright and hallowed crown.
Bright December, we salute you,
As we near the old year's end;
Let your miracles of Christmas
Renew our faith and love again.

And now the last of these poetic gems is coming up, entitled "God's Precious Gift" by Cheryl R. Smith, Borden Indiana, rendered as follows:

Two thousand years ago
In the town of Bethlehem,
The promised Prince of Peace was born,
A gift for every man.
His mother gently laid Him
In a manger for His bed.
She knew her Son would save the world,
Just as God had said.

Shepherds in a nearby field
Were told by angels bright,
"Fear not! We bring you joyous news;
A King is born tonight!
Go with haste and find this babe,
This gift of hope and joy,
And bend your knees in worship
To this holy baby boy."
In a stable not far off
They found the infant dear,
The One that God had promised,
The One foretold by seers.
Their hearts leapt up in joy and hope
At such a wondrous sight.
They thrilled to find the Christ divine
Born that glorious night.

And there you have it folks, three for the price of one.  Where can you find such a bargain in shopping malls at this season of the year? Around where I live, they aren't to be seen.  I hope that these lines ministered to your spirits today.

And now may the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob just keep us safe, individually and collectively, in these last days in which we live.  Lord willing tomorrow there will be another seasonal daily thought message especially for you.  Your Christian friend and brother, Paul