Poems on the Meaning of Christmas

Religious: Christmas ornament with Nativity Silhouette
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Two of the biggest mistakes Christians can make is doubting God is in control and forgetting he is the author and perfecter of our salvation. Because God is invisible, working behind the scenes, we often think he has abandoned us. And, our human need for certainty drives us to accumulate good works and strive to be a good person. Consider the valuable lessons in these Christmas poems.

God's Plan

By Jack Zavada

His choice was perfect,
Though none could believe
That a lowly virgin could ever conceive.

Then a godless emperor's public decree
Brought them to Bethlehem.
How could that be?

They came to adore him, the great and small
To prove he would be
The Lord of us all.

From the tribe of Judah, in David's line,
A human like us,
And yet divine.

Hung on a cross as he himself said,
Then three days later
He rose from the dead!

No coincidence there, all flawlessly planned,
Events orchestrated
By God's own hand.

And so in your own life as things come to be,
God is behind them
Though you cannot see.

Events and people, distant and near,
Moving you there,
Bringing you here.

Every encounter since your life began,
A piece in the puzzle
Of God's careful plan.

To mold your character to be like his Son,
To bring you home
When your life is done.

God Saves

By Jack Zavada

His name was ordained before he was born,
Its meaning was proven on that Easter morn.

But on that first Christmas in his manger bed,
His mother recalled what the angel had said.

Heaven and earth will both proclaim
When your son is born, Jesus shall be his name.

In Israel where the Lord made his descent,
The people knew 'God saves' was what the name meant.

It marked the beginning of a brand new pact,
God would sacrifice; God would act.

A promise fulfilled that was made at the Fall,
A one-time offering given for all.

But over the centuries people forgot,
And they tried to do what man cannot.

They piled up works, they set their goals,
They thought good deeds could save their souls.

They worried if they would ever be done,
And forgot their salvation had already been won.

There on the cross Jesus paid the price,
And his Father accepted the sacrifice.

'God saves' is the truth that earned our reprieve,
And all we must do is simply believe.

A Christmas Lesson

By Tom Krause

"A Christmas Lesson" is an original Christian poem that teaches the true meaning of Christmas through the eyes of a young boy.

"Is there a purpose? Why are we here?"
A little boy asked as the yuletide drew near.
"I really do hope that someday I will know
The reason we stand out here in the snow,
Ringing this bell as people walk by
While snowflakes descend from out of the sky."

The mother just smiled at her shivering son
Who would rather be playing and having some fun,
But soon would discover before evening was done
The meaning of Christmas, the very first one.

The young boy exclaimed, "Mother, where do they go,
All the pennies we collect every year in the snow?
Why do we do it? Why do we care?
We work for these pennies, so why should we share?"

"Because once a small baby, so meek and so mild
Was born in a manger," She said to the child.
"The Son of a King was born in this way,
To give us the message He carried that day."

"You mean Baby Jesus? Is He why we're here,
Ringing this bell at Christmas time every year?"
"Yes," said the mother. "That is why you should know
About the very first Christmas a long time ago."

"The present God gave to the world on that night
Was the gift of His Son to make everything right.
Why did He do it? Why did He care?
To teach about loving and how we should share."

"The meaning of Christmas, you see, my dear son,
Is not about presents and just having fun.
But the gift of a Father—His own precious Son—
So the world would be saved when His work was all done."

Now the little boy smiled with a tear in his eye,
As snowflakes kept falling from out of the sky—
Rang louder the bell as the people walked by
While down deep in his heart, at last, he knew why.

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Your Citation
Fairchild, Mary. "Poems on the Meaning of Christmas." Learn Religions, Aug. 28, 2020, learnreligions.com/a-christmas-lesson-poem-700478. Fairchild, Mary. (2020, August 28). Poems on the Meaning of Christmas. Retrieved from https://www.learnreligions.com/a-christmas-lesson-poem-700478 Fairchild, Mary. "Poems on the Meaning of Christmas." Learn Religions. https://www.learnreligions.com/a-christmas-lesson-poem-700478 (accessed March 29, 2024).