These are two of my Christmas poems, one from 1980, the other from a few days ago, in 2017. My relationship with the Savior has changed and grown in those 37 years, and will, I hope, continue to grow. Merry Christmas to all, and peace on Earth.
Christmas Offering (1980)
I close my eyes in prayer, and try to see
Thy listening omnipresence on a throne;
To see the more-than-whiteness, and to hear
Celestial spheres and hosts combine to sing
A worthy harmony to Thy great love.
I know that Thou must dwell in such a place,
But my Earth-laden heart cannot find Thee
In any setting closed to mortal eyes.
My prayerful mind must turn to Bethlehem:
The rough-soft hair and breathing warmth of cattle,
The pain and blood of birth’s grip on a womb,
The peace of a newborn, eternal child.
These things I know. I know the smell of hay;
The sleep of a new mother; a new babe.
Although I search through all the realms of Heaven,
I kneel beside a manger to find Thee.
Another Christmas Offering (2017)
I close my eyes in prayer and feel Thy love,
Thy presence in my reverent, seeking heart,
Remembering: without Gethsemane,
And Calvary, and glorious garden morn,
The story of the night in Bethlehem
Would never have been told. The Son of Man,
Born humble Mary’s Son, is here with us.
His kingdom on the earth and in the heavens.
Give glory to His gracious sacrifice
While time turns to surrounding stable walls,
Then into time’s first garden, where our God
Presented a Redeemer for us all,
Then arcs to second, glorious return:
His kingdom all in all’s eternal round.
And I can search through all the realms of Heaven,
Through all the realms of earth, the singing stars—
I kneel beside a manger to find Thee,
While kneeling, weeping at Thy wounded feet,
And at the quiet altars of Thy house,
And praising in forever yet to come.
All time and space are holy to Thy name:
It echoes quiet in my heart and mind,
Even as I shout creation’s joy
Again, and yet again, and Thou art there,
And here. Love listening to my whispered prayer,
Yet crowned in circles of eternity.
Lisa Bolin Hawkins
Sisterly Kindness 