Christmas Poems

BELLS RINGING  

Bells ringing!                                 

Bells singing!                                 

In simple joy,                                

Love's own alloy,            

God's babe is born                      

this happy morn.             

Bells ringing!                                 

Bells singing!                                 

The infant's tear              

Cries God is here.            

He’s come at last,                                     

Now life will last.             

Bells ringing!                                 

Bells singing!         

           

                                   

GLORIA      

Gloria!

Birth moans

in strawed stable.

The King has come,

his lusty wailing

rends dark night.

Gloria!

Birth bloody

as his death,

the King has come.

His reality

mouth and mother's breast.

Gloria!

Birth starlit in musked air,

The King has come,

God swaddled in human need.

Gloria!

Jesus Son of God Most High.

Gloria in Excelsis Deo!

Gloria!

Jesus, Son of God Beloved

Jesus, Son of God, beloved,

From heav'ns highest realms he journeyed.

Child of Mary, humble maiden.

Born to save God's wand'ring children,

How he loves the lost and fallen,

Those whose lives are spent and barren.

In his blood is our redemption,

In his love is full salvation.

melody: schmuecke dich, johanne crueger, 1646

deck thyself my soul with gladness

LADY LAUD YOUR SON

Lady laud your son.

Cast down your golden crown and worship him,

born a babe in stable laid,

who walked the hills of Galilee

with fisher folk and tax collectors

made of them a warrior band,

shocked the scribe and Pharisee

not less than priest and Sadducee.

No simple man, nor plain was he.

He has the power to call forth you and me.

Lady laud your son

whose death pierced your own soul

with grief too sharp to bear

fulfilling prophet's words in temple court

so long ago.  Proud mother of a little babe

with head bowed down,

you contemplate the way

he cast down the mighty from their thrones.

Lady laud your son.

You have given once again

as you have given many times before.

Resurrection joy, ascension parting mingled in your breast.

The old ways of holding him can never be again.

Lady laud your son.

Cast down your golden crown and worship him

in the circle of the saints, his sisters, brothers,

all your children now, all crowned like you

God-bearer, now for ever blessed

held in warm embrace by glad hearts everywhere.

Lady laud your son.

The Bells, The Bells

The sound of the bells,

the bells, the bells, the bells,

storming down the wind from the tower

of the old Cathedral on the hill.

The bells, the bells, the bells,

High tones, low tones,

ringing in the middle,

sounding out glad tidings

Christ is born again

in the hearts of grateful men.

The bells, the bells, the bells,

ringing the days of our lives,

our births, our deaths, our holy days;

the weddings of husbands and wives.

The bells, the bells, the bells,

Thirty-nine mournful strokes

Count them one by one.

Thirty-nine joyful strokes,

count them one by one,

one for you and one for all,

the toll of our redemption.

One for the Father, one for the Spirit,

and one for the Almighty Son.

The bells, the bells, the bells.

Hear them ringing down the hill.

  

When Love is Born at Christmas

When love is born at Christmas                                         

the busy world is hushed,                           

all creation waits to hear                            

the infant’s cry of life.                                  

The sheep and oxen gather                        

around the humble manger,                       

The young mother bends to see                

God’s holy child and now hers.                  

God Himself is bending there,                    

Yielding self to human care,                        

To Mary humble mother                             

and to Joseph standing there.                     

In the fields not far away                            

Shepherds guard their flocks by night,     

When all the heavens shine bright            

With angels in brilliant light,                       

Singing loud Hallelujahs,                             

Jesus Christ is born tonight.                        

Let no evil you affright,                               

He comes to set things right.                      

And what do these shepherds see?           

A baby in a manger,                                     

such a simple thing to see,                          

with his mother kneeling by.

  

We Shepherds Three

We shepherds three

camped in the fields below the hill

our flocks huddled for warmth

      in the cave at our backs.

We are the door of the sheep,

with our fire at the cave mouth,

our cheeses, breads, and skins of wine,

one with a flute, and one with a lute

and one with the voice of a frog.

We cast no grand illusion.

We are not pious folk.

Often our wives are glad to see us home,

often they are glad to see us gone,

rough men, unkempt men, smelly men,

“You sleep with the sheep.

You smell like the sheep,”

      the townsmen say.

This night was like all other nights

if anything darker, the wind more severe,

We expected nothing

except a cold long watch

with the sheep in the cave at our backs,

with our fire at the cave mouth,

our cheeses, breads, and skins of wine,

one with a flute, and one with a lute

and one with the voice of a frog.

I wish I could say we were at prayer

and that incense, not smoke,

      filled the night air.

But we sang shepherd songs

of loves long since lost,

of fighting and brawling,

the things we know most.

It was then that the angels came

and the glory of God filled the night air.

To shepherds three, coarse and unkempt

they brought tidings of great joy.

“This day in the city high on the hill

a Savior is born Christ our Lord.

A babe you will find, laid in a manger

      and wrapped all secure.”

And suddenly the sky was filled with

Myriads and myriads of angels

     singing God’s praise.

We shepherds three set a guard for our sheep

and went up the hill to find him asleep.

Mary and Joseph with Jesus the child.

We gave what we had to the baby so mild,

our cheeses, and breads,

      and skins filled with wine,

And we sang him a lullaby

one with a flute, and one with a lute

and one with the voice of a frog.

Wondrous Love

What wondrous love,

my Lord that you should leave

bright heavens realms above

to dwell with us below.

Enthroned above

with the Father and the Spirit

in eternal glory,

in majesty supernal.

Myriad’s of angels.

Seraphim and cherubim

in ceaseless adoration

sing the praises of Your Name.

Now time bound.

In human flesh appearing,

The Virgin’s womb

Not distaining.

King of kings

yet born of Mary

God’s only Son

now one of us.

OUR CHRISTMAS HEARTS ARE CAROLING

Our Christmas hearts are caroling

that love is born our heavenly King.

The cold world wounds, its raw winds roar,

with this heavenly child our hearts will soar.

In the infant's smile and the infants tear

we'll find the peace that quells our fear.

He came the lives of men to share

the cross to bear  and the pain to bear.

Though men will suffer, men will die

God's children know that he is nigh.

Our Christmas hearts are caroling

that love is born our heavenly king.

                                               

And one last one by Christina Rossetti:

Love Came Down At Christmas

~ Christina Rossetti

Love came down at Christmas,

Love all lovely, love divine;

Love was born at Christmas,

Star and angels gave the sign.

Worship we the Godhead,

Love incarnate, love divine;

Worship we our Jesus:

But wherewith for sacred sign?

Love shall be our token,

Love shall be yours and love be mine,

Love to God and to all men,

Love for plea and gift and sign.