A Poem by C. Rossetti: In the Bleak Midwinter

In the Bleak Midwinter

by Christina Rossetti

In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,

 Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone; 

Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,

In the bleak midwinter, long ago.

Our God, Heaven cannot hold Him, nor earth sustain;

Heaven and earth shall flee away when He comes to reign. 

In the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ.

Enough for Him, whom cherubim, worship night and day, 

Breastful of milk, and a mangerful of hay;
Enough for Him, whom angels fall before,
The ox and ass and camel which adore.

Angels and archangels may have gathered there, 

Cherubim and seraphim thronged the air;
But His mother only, in her maiden bliss, 

Worshipped the beloved with a kiss.

What can I give Him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;

If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;

Yet what I can I give Him: give my heart.

A Poem by Prudentius: Of the Father's Love Begotten

 Of the Father's Love Begotten

Corde natus ex Parentis by Prudentius (AD 405)
Translation by J. M. Neale and H. W. Baker

A layman, government official of the Roman Empire, and great Christian poet.

1 Of the Father's love begotten ere the worlds began to be,
he is Alpha and Omega,
he the source, the ending he,
of the things that are, that have been, and that future years shall see evermore and evermore.

2 Oh, that birth forever blessed when the virgin, full of grace,
by the Holy Ghost conceiving, bore the Savior of our race,
and the babe, the world's Redeemer, first revealed his sacred face evermore and evermore.

3 This is he whom seers and sages sang of old with one accord, whom the voices of the prophets promised in their faithful word. Now he shines, the long-expected; let creation praise its Lord evermore and evermore.

4 Let the heights of heav'n adore him, angel hosts his praises sing, pow'rs, dominions bow before him and extol our God and King.
Let no tongue on earth be silent, ev'ry voice in concert ring evermore and evermore.

5 Christ, to thee, with God the Father, and, O Holy Ghost, to thee
hymn and chant and high thanksgiving and unending praises be, honor, glory, and dominion
and eternal victory
evermore and evermore.

A Poem by C. S. Lewis: The Nativity

The Nativity

by C.S. Lewis

Among the oxen (like an ox I’m slow)
I see a glory in the stable grow
Which, with the ox’s dullness might at length

Give me an ox’s strength.

Among the asses (stubborn I as they)
I see my Savior where I looked for hay;

So may my beast like folly learn at least

The patience of a beast.

Among the sheep (I like a sheep have strayed)

I watch the manger where my Lord is laid;

Oh that my baaing nature would win thence

Some woolly innocence!

A Poem by W. McCarter: Irony (Christmas)

 Irony. . .

Behold, the virgin shall be with child

Peculiar. . .
There shall come forth a shoot from the stump

Unexpected. . .
Little Bethlehem, out of you shall come a Ruler

Miracle. . .
She was found with child of the Holy Spirit

Surprise. . .
For with God nothing is impossible

Paradox. . .
The Word became flesh and dwelt among us

Baffling. . .
He was laid in a manger because there was no room for them

Marvelous. . .
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts

Wondrous. . .
Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end

Shocking. . .
God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us

Gospel. . .
For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life

Irony. . .