🎄 Darkest night, O Holy night
When his glory took flight.
✨ What was it like when He descended?
Heaven and earth were upended.
🎄 Let me imagine his descent.
Impart mercy, for heresy is not my intent.
✨ Imagination God has granted.
That we may draw with truth enchanted.
🎄 Not with hard lines of law.
Rather, beauty, unity, the good, and awe.
✨ For how are we, material and broken,
To understand mysteries unspoken?
🎄 Before His descent into our earthly ways,
He existed in Heaven as the Ancient of Days.
✨ Can you imagine how it would start?
How the Ancient of Days and his glory part?
🎄 The stars, they align,
Forming a stairway divine.
✨ To earth these stairs like water flow
And with each step His glories go.
🎄 Fast and swift his majesty set aside.
But let our mind do its work where time does not abide.
✨ Let us imagine what each step imparts.
As the Ancient of days, his home he departs.
🎄 The first step brings bone and marrow,
And with them comes future sorrow.
✨ The second brings nerves and pain,
And with them comes future disdain.
🎄 The third brings blood and life,
And with them comes future strife.
✨ The fourth brings a heart and mind,
And with them comes a future bind.
🎄 The fifth brings nose, mouth, eyes, and ears.
And with them comes future tears.
✨ The sixth brings hands and feet and head to adorn
And with them comes future nails and crown of thorn.
🎄 The final brings a child born today,
And with it brings a manger filled with hay.
✨ The incarnation is now complete
The Ancient of Days is now asleep.
🎄 No nails, nor cross, nor crown has start.
No beatings, nor piercings, nor God torn apart.
✨ It is a holy night and the stars are shining.
As the Word made flesh is peacefully abiding.
🎄 The divine became flesh,
But his natures were not enmeshed.
✨ He had begun the journey; man shall be saved;
Man, wretched, wicked, and heart so depraved.
🎄 How did Christ set aside his glory?
Maybe this is part of the story?
✨ Alas it is not for us to know.
But this provides our imagination room to grow.
🎄 The impassible God became passible man;
How we wish to know, but no one can.
✨ On that night, that silent night
Our savior came down a holy flight.
🎄 As our King lay in Mary’s arms.
Let us thank him for his future harms.
✨ Knowing that he calls all who follow,
To be more than bodies dark and hollow.
🎄 We too have crosses to bear,
self to deny and sorrows to care.
✨ But praise be to God for descending his throne
And on that silent night making his love known.
12 Comments
Daniel, in a nutshell, you have described God’s glory and the incredible significance of his story, (no I was not trying to rhyme). Thank you for such a beautiful poem. It made my day and will become a part of my advent reading every year. Thank you. Merry Christmas.
Today everything is a class. An academic exercise into this deep truth or that principle upon we build for future growth We miss the idea that God is a person with emotions that go infinitely deeper than we can possibly imagine. Your poem allowed us to take a peek into that deep valley.
Thank you for reading. The irony is that the inspiration for this poem was a very academic book on the subject of God’s impassability and the incarnation. For an introduction on the subject, and the inspiration of this poem, check out https://www.amazon.com/Suffering-Impassible-God-Dialectics-Patristic/dp/0199297118
In short, we have many people who want to paint without learning how to use a brush, and too many people obsessed with the manufacturing of the brush to ever touch the canvas. Hopefully more art and theology will be inspired by this writing.
Thank you! I am very honored that you would use this in your advent readings. Blessings!
Excellent! Thought-provoking. Love: Imagination God has granted.
That we may draw with truth enchanted. Thank you for a fresh vision of His coming.
Thank you for reading and commenting, Dawn!
Absolutely beautiful!
Thank you Kimberly! Thank you for reading!
Beautiful, Daniel… thank you for sharing!
Amazing thots. This will definitely require a few more reads. Great work. Randy
Straight heat man. This is great content. Your responses in the comments are a great read too. Nice job! #KeepThinking
I’m just catching up on this blog and Wow! Daniel, your words are moving. I clicked “Add to Favorites” on this one with all due speed. Thank you.