Christmas Poem from South Africa

I thought you might enjoy  this from Matthew Roberts, star of the multi-award winning "Freedom Road" (168 Film Project 2013).

Matthew Roberts, Actor "Freedom Road"

The Mystery           

by Matthew Roberts

Darkness covered all the land,

plunging Bethlehem deep into the shadow of night.

So it was before the dawn of creation:

empty, lonely, without a glimmer of life or love –

a void waiting, longing to be filled.

Must mankind wait in vain?

But there is a time for everything,

And in the fullness thereof

with the precision of a laser,

Light pierced the darkness.

Oblivious of the Eternal significance of this event,

itinerant sheep-herders huddled on the hillside,

cursing their luck at having to guard the errant flock.

Baby lambs will be born this night,

lambs which will one day be slaughtered.

So too the Lamb of the world,

Who takes upon Himself the sins of many.

He is both the Shepherd strong to save,

and the sacrificial lamb, silent unto death.

Is it not strange? Is it not God?

The mystery continues

as God frustrates the predictions of the wise,

doing what we least expect of Him.

This very night He will exchange His throne for a manger,

and His palace for a stable.

Why does He not reveal Himself to learned men

in the sanctity of the sanctuary?

Because the wisdom of God is foolishness to men

And only the foolish are wise.

God chooses the simple to shame the proud,

as His glory bathes their trembling frames.

The surrounding countryside explodes

into a breathtaking display of light and sound,

as the supernatural becomes visible to human eyes.

And in the bliss of celestial celebration

mortal and immortal embraced,

for Heaven had truly come to earth.

And all the while Bethlehem sleeps,

unaware that it houses a sleeping giant.

The shepherds discard their belongings and hurry off,

eager to meet their Saviour face to face.

Breathless with anticipation they burst into the stable,

only to be faced with a crying baby

in a cattle trough.

Excited voices become hushed

as they stare in shock and awe,

for here indeed is a mystery.

Divine birth issues in the era of re-birth,

for Jesus comes to be conceived in every willing heart.