I wrote this poem some years back as part of the entertainment for a church Christmas gathering. It celebrates the fact that the events that happened in Bethlehem so many years ago are still relevant now. The poem is divided into four sections, each accompanied by a Christmas carol that was sung by four different small groups. The final song was sung by the entire audience.
Jesus Christ is called by several names in the Bible. One of my favorite parts of this poem is that it highlights several of these Biblical names, such as Our Peace or God of Comfort. As the names are seen in the poem, the Biblical references are listed as footnotes.
Since Christmas Eve gatherings may look a little different this year, I thought it would be fun to dig this little number out and do it with my family or over Zoom with friends. Maybe you would like to have a poem-reading and song-singing Christmas Eve too!
In Bethlehem
Neither scholar, nor philanthropist,
Nor wise, nor rich am I.
Still, I feel His spirit near—
Soft as a lullaby.
No tales have been told of my sweet-tempered soul,
No record rings of my righteousness,
But still, I kneel and trust in His grace,
My sullied spirit to soothe and bless.
It was Thee that still night, amid heavenly host,
Both a babe and a light to the nations.
Thee whom shepherds did seek as they tended their sheep,
Thou Captain of Man’s Salvation!1
Though I be no king nor shepherd
To attend on Judea’s great plain,
Anthems swell on my ear as though I were there
To bask in the angelic strain.
Song: “Angels We Have Heard on High”
That vibrant new star never peered through my sky,
Guiding me through the night to His manger,
But when darkness enshrouds, His brilliance doth blaze.
God of Comfort2—command me from danger!
The years have waxed on, even mountains have aged,
Since that blest noble night of His birth.
Still, as fresh as the first gentle sigh of Our Peace3,
Sing chords of His holy dissension to Earth.
His whole healing hands never touched my blind eyes,
His robes…ne’er within my reach.
Yet, I feel His embrace and my vision awakens.
I am raised with each word He doth teach.
Never touched I the prints of the nails in His hands
Or His feet when He overthrew death,
But warm tears fill my eyes when I think of the babe.
Silent now—I hear His first breath.
Song: “Silent Night”
Neither mighty kings nor conquerors
Nor men of legend are we,
Yet our Spiritual Rock4 did lay Himself low
That we might ransomed be.
Our privilege and wealth are not fabled abroad
That the world should desire what they see.
Never stirred by such gilding is our King of Kings5!
For abundance of heart looketh He.
We never did know gentle Joseph—
Carpenter, disciple of the Craftsman of Life.
Still, each of us forged from the Artisan’s hand,
Figures fashioned for joy—to rise above strife.
We never did meet Mother Mary
As She watched the child Jesus at play,
Yet our hearts are reigned in, as if we recall
What She felt on that first Christmas day.
Song: “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day”
Our two sandaled feet never kicked up the dust
Down the beaten old paths that He trod.
Still, we strive to follow His footsteps,
And walk in the ways of our God.
As young ones, we never were suffered
To draw near and rest on His knee.
Yet, He bids us to become like children,
Until His will, not ours, we do see.
After tempest and fire, do we sit in the dark?
Is that His voice that quiets our fear?
Do we gaze past the rubble to meet his sweet face?
Yes!
Here He is still…always standing so near.
Though we were not present to witness
That new dawn’s resplendent first light,
With the world we rejoice at the miracle born
In Bethlehem that night.
Song: “Oh Little Town of Bethlehem”
Final Song: “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear”
-Laura Briggs-Fenn 2010
1- Heb 2:10
2- 2 Cor 1:3
3- Eph 2:14
4- 1 Cor 10:4
5- 1 Tim 6:15
(Unless specific permission has been granted, this poem is for personal home or small gathering use only.)
