Thanks to everyone who attended our Christmas Eve Celebration. This year we tied the whole service together with some poorly written poetry that told a version of the Christmas/salvation story, and I can say poorly written… because I wrote it.
I’ve been a asked a couple of times where to get it, so, I thought I’d make it available here at the CrossEyedLife.
It comes in five sections as a progressive story and many thanks to Sam Wilk who narrated for us… great job!
THE NEED
Dark and barren, a formless void
Our universe an empty nothing
No light, no warmth, no life to be enjoyed
A vast and endless stretch of nothing to be had
From beginning to end,
A hole in sheer blankness, neither good nor bad
Then from the darkened chaos, a voice both strong and true
“Let there be light!”
Echoed through the blackness, words powerfully breaking through
From where there had been nothing, a something soon appeared
Rays of light now came to show
Galaxies were forming, and a God to be revered
And through the frenzied action of a universe being born
A spark of life
Mountain, tree, bird and whale, even man this world adorned
“It is Good” a declaration the Creator’s voice proclaimed
Over all that had come to being
There was nothing for which to be ashamed
“The world is yours to live and love and enjoy forever more
Now go and play and live today
And always remember this one simple chore
“As you run and reign this world made for you
Avoid one tree not meant for man
To show your love for Me is true.”
But a world so perfect and filled with good
Felt the sting of deception
Betrayal and greed as before the tree, man’s only man stood
Broken and torn, sin entered in and death marked this place
A universe, which knew only good
Now cold and naked awaiting judgement’s embrace
“Guilty as charged” cried the actions of man as tears filled his eyes
“We’ve taken this precious gift of life
And made it something to despise”
All creation cringed and moaned a cry of desperation
Awaiting the just destruction
But wait… why the Creator’s hesitation
Still strong and true boomed the voice that spoke it all
“My love for you is far too strong,
For I will save you from this fall.”
Judgment was stayed, by the Creator’s own hand
Though punishment was just
He told this man of His plan
“One Day all this will be made right, One Day this world will change
Through the seed of man
My Son will come your guilt His life exchanged
“Though My heart breaks for my Son your debt to pay
Paradise restored, wrongs made right
This I will do, One Day.”
And though this man had feared the worst, awaiting death’s sting
He turned his tear stained eyes toward heaven.
Realizing he’d been given everything.
One Day… hope… One Day
THE WAITING
One Day a hope to come for broken man, One Day
But in this mess of sinfulness
Hope seemed so very far away
Weeks turned to months and months to years
Though the waiting was long
Hopes and prayers calmed the fears
For the Creator had promised One Day to send a Son
And the fallen, dirtied, chaos
Of this world be undone
Millennia crawled by as the faithful watched the skies
Looking for a sign of Promise
That One Day’s hope would soon arrive
From time to time, upon the scene a messenger the Creator sent
With words of love and yearning
The hearers pondered what they meant
A babe would come some starry night just like a lamb
Into a small, nothing town
The locals there call Bethlehem
Another claimed the birth, a miracle to see
For the mother of this child
A virgin she would be
This messenger continued on before his words did cease
A child be born
Wonderful, Counselor the long awaited Prince of Peace
Hopes grew high as waiting grew but messengers still they came
Stories of hope and light and faith
Each different yet all the same
A messenger spoke, “This child will come and all will be revealed
For a Suffering Servant He will be,
By His stripes we will be healed.”
Man understood only in part, for these words were hard to hear
Their sins cast upon this perfect Son
Would then draw the Creator near
Man cried out through anguished prayers and somber songs of praise
“We cannot stand here all alone
Like fire burning in our chest, our heart it is ablaze!
“Creator God, please send Your Son, upon this earth to dwell
We need Him more than anything
O Come, O Come Immanuel.”
As centuries past waiting prolonged man’s eager expectation
Of the hope that One Day would surely come
And finally bring Salvation.
One Day… the waiting to end… One Day
THE DOORWAY
400 years since last they spoke, the messengers now gone
The Creator silent, the world await
Listening for a Savior’s song
From long ago the hope was cast for all humanity
But the promise now will come to pass
Through two near Galilee
A sweet, young girl one starlight night awoke to words so scary
A babe, Our God, The Christ to bare
“Your will be done” said Mary
And then a man, with heart so true, and righteousness his way
Called to raise a child not his
Joseph to Mary he pledged to stay
A King to reign, the Lord of all, into this world to come
Not through some door of majesty
But a carpenter’s step son
The world waiting, watching, praying for a sign of something real
But hidden in the most common home
Through peasants our Hope concealed
For this young family a difficult road of fear and trepidation
Scoffers would scoff and laughers would laugh
At their unique situation
Listening to wise men and running from kings their lives a hefty price
Down every road and pathway lead
The burden of sacrifice
And in their baby’s eyes they see a sacrifice deeper still
Life poured out, a body broken
And blood for all will spill
His tiny cries like echoes ring through all eternity
“My body and my blood to give
Do this in remembrance of me”
But not tonight, it’s not the time, that suffering is years away
Tonight this couple hold their babe
And in a manger stay
For many roads are yet to walk and other lessons learn
For thousands of years mankind has looked
And for this Savior yearned.
Tonight one of many beginnings, with a doorway open wide
The wrong made right, and healing come
To Bethlehem’s hillside…
One Day, has come… this One Day has finally… come
THE COMING
One Day, One Day, one long awaited Day has finally come to be
Man’s broken eyes open wide
Their Lord and Savior, Immanuel to see
No politicians, priests or pompous people heard the call
For the Creator’s winged warriors
Announce to shepherds, an end to the Fall
A brilliant flash on midnight black the sky aglow with angel light
Voice thunders out, “Town of David,
Born to you… Savior, Lord and Christ”
Sleepy shepherds waked that night like frightened sheep within a pen
As angelic chorus thundered
“Glory to God and peace to men”
Then back to night the sky grew dark as angels bid retreat
But rushing, running these shepherds went
A king in stable they would meet
And there they found a baby Boy in what became silent night
As each man’s heart raced because they knew
Creator had come, to the world a Light
Mary spoke both sweet and true, Jesus was this child’s name
Messiah, Healer, God… with… us
Bringing end to all our shame
Filled with joy, the shepherds left, and never were the same
Taking the place of angelic voice
Proclaiming that He came
And then began, from that very moment, a change in humanity
Lost and torn and hopelessness
Replaced now by certainty
Our path now changed forever, no more condemned to die
For shepherds gave good news to all
Angels we have heard on high!
One Day is ours, Good News has come… One Day has arrived
THE CHOICE
From time begun to present day so much has come to pass
And now we know our Savior’s song
A tune you can’t surpass
For generation after generation man was a broken clan
But made it right, and sealed it tight
The Son and Great I Am.
We know the words and believe them, each and every day
God sent his Son, man’s sin undone
His own life He chose to pay
And every year we celebrate a season marked with tinsel and with light
With songs to sing and gifts to wrap
Is there really ever Silent Night?
We’re busy and we’re hurried with this holiday we celebrate
But traditions and fun we hold so dear
To our Savior, do they relate?
From brokenness this day was born, our need to be made well
Creator’s Son sent from heaven
To save us all from hell
A victory chant, a party deluxe, seems right for this occasion
But do not miss what’s important here
Keep Christ in the equation
Let’s sing the songs and have our fun, but we always must remember
Why children laugh and nations stop
On the 25th of December
And why you say does this world hit pause at Christmas time each year
There’s only one Reason, the one for the Season
That we have any need to cheer
His name is Jesus, the Author of creation and the Savior of mankind
The Alpha and Omega, First and Last
He is Divine
Christ, The Firstborn from the Dead and Hope of True Salvation
Great High Priest and Holy One
King of every nation
Lord of Lords and Lamb of God, Passover Sacrifice
Son of Man and Son of God
Resurrection and the Life
This Christmas time we celebrate the coming of The Day
That all men had been waiting for
To take their sins away
The choice is yours and must be made, this we know for sure
Man is still broken, bent and wrong
But Jesus, He is the cure
One Day has come, already now, though 2,000 years have past
The choice is ours this Christmas Day
Choose Christ, choose life, hold fast
One Day has come, The Day of Life… today is still The Day