“The sun will no more be your light by day
nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you
For the Lord will be your everlasting light,
and your God will be your glory.”
~ Isaiah 60:19 ~
“Before the paling of the stars,
Before the winter morn,
Before the earliest cockcrow,
Jesus Christ was born:
Born in a stable,
Cradles in a manger,
In the world His hands had made
Born a stranger.
Priest and king lay fast asleep
In Jerusalem,
Young and old lay fast asleep
In crowded Bethlehem;
Saint and Angel, ox and ass,
Kept a watch together
Before the Christmas daybreak
In the winter weather.
Jesus on his mother’s breast
In the stable cold,
Spotless Lamb of God was He,
Shepherd of the fold:
Let us kneel with Mary maid,
With Joseph bent and hoary,
With Saint and Angel, ox and ass,
To hail the King of Glory.”
~ Christina Georgina Rossetti ~
“I salute you. I am your friend and my love for you goes deep.
There is nothing I can give you which you have not got;
but there is much, very much,
that, while I cannot give it, you can take.
No heaven can come to us unless our hearts
find rest in it today. Take heaven!
No peace lies in the future which is not hidden
in this present little instant. Take peace!
The gloom of this world is but a shadow.
Behind it, yet within our reach, is joy. Take joy!
There is radiance and glory in the darkness
could we but see, and to see, we have only to look.
I beseech you to look.
Life is so generous a giver, but we,
judging its gifts by their covering, cast them away as
ugly or heavy or hard. Remove the covering,
and you will find beneath it a living splendor,
woven of love, by wisdom, with power.
Welcome it, grasp it, and you touch the Angel’s hand
that brings it to you. Everything we call a trial,
a sorrow, or a duty; believe, me that Angel’s hand is there,
and the wonder of an overshadowing presence.
Our joys, too: be not content with them as joys.
They, too, conceal diviner gifts. Life is so full of meaning
and of purpose, that you will find earth
but cloaks your heaven. Courage, then, to claim it:
that is all! But courage you have;
and the knowledge that we are pilgrims together,
winding, through unknown country, home.
And so, at this Christmas time, I greet you.
Not quite as the world sends greetings,
but with profound esteem, and with a prayer
that for you, now and forever,
the day breaks, and the shadows flee away.”
~ Fra Giovanni ~
“Nor crown, no robe, nor spice I bring
As offering unto Christ, my King.
Yet have I brought a gift the Child
May not despise, however small,
For here I lay my heart today,
And it is full of love to all
Take Thou the poor but loyal thing
My only tribute, Christ, my King!”
~ Eugene Field ~
“In the bleak mid-winter
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 mid-winter
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 mid-winter
A stable-place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty
Jesus Christ…
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.”
~ Christina Georgina Rossetti ~
“And when the chief Shepherd appears
you will receive a crown of glory
that will never fade away.”
~ 1 Peter 5:4 ~
If you have a name for the prayer list, please let me know. Each week you must let me know if you’ve someone who needs prayer.
Prayer Keeping ~ Jim ~ Donna ~ GJ ~ Bill ~ Mary and family ~
What a selection, Sandra! Most of these are very meaningful to me, personal favorites for many years. Thank you for posting the entire quote from Giovanni. As I age, I see the wisdom there more and more.
Beautiful poems. Thank you for sharing them with me. Merry Christmas!
Another wonderful selection to ponder. Praying for you this Christmas season…I am reading a book, Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry. Sometimes I think of you as I read it…maybe I picture your farm? I too need to get my nose out of the book. It has been gloomy here for over a week. So easy to let the hours slip away. OK, I need to start moving!
All the best Christmas greetings in one blessed post – thank you, Dear Sandra!!
Dear Sandra, Beautiful post for Christmas. Always a joy to visit. Many Blessings to you this season.
Merry Christmas
XO
You're a good word picker, Sandra!
I hope you aren't too freezing! I pray your week is joyful. Sending heaps of love your way!
Thank you for keeping us in your prayers. Jim moved into a confused and combative phase this weekend. So things are further progressing downhill.
Lovely poetry post today, Sandra. Thanks so much.
Now there's some "Christmas Spirit"! Hope you're having a lovely day, Sandra.
What a wonderful Christmas post. Blessings to you! xo Diana
Thank you Sandra. HUGS B
Dear Sandra ~ A beautiful Christmas post! To think that God came down in the flesh, as a babe, Jesus, our Savior.
May your Christmas be filled with love, joy and peace.
FlowerLady
Merry Christmas to you and all those on the farm:)