Reading this poem has helped me today.
First Coming
He did not wait till the world was ready,
till men and nations were at peace.
He came when the heavens were unsteady,
and prisoners cried out for release.
He did not wait for the perfect time.
He came when the need was deep and great.
He dined with sinners in all their grime,
turned water into wine. He did not wait
till hearts were pure. In joy he came
to a tarnished world of sin and doubt.
To a world like ours, of anguished shame
He came, and his Light would not go out.
He came to a world which did not mesh,
to heal its tangles, shield its scorn.
In the mystery of the Word made Flesh
the Maker of the stars was born.
We cannot wait till the world is sane
to raise our songs with joyful voice,
for to share our grief, to touch our pain
He came with Love: Rejoice! Rejoice!
--Madeleine L'Engle
What do you do to prepare your heart for His coming?
Oh Richella! I just had to laugh because right after I hit the Publish Post button for my own post about the start of Advent, I saw your post pop up too. We must be kindred spirits! Thanks so much for sharing these beautiful words of hope with us this morning!
ReplyDeleteVanessa
What a beautiful poem, and how appropriate after rushing around trying to deck the halls. We have our advent wreath, which helps us remember that Jesus is the reason for the season. Also, there is a wonderful book by Dr. Mary Manz Simon called "My First Read and Learn Countdown to Christmas." We read it with the children at night to keep them focused on the religious aspect of the season. Finally, instead of their traditional requested nighttime songs, I have taken to singing "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" to them - it gave me an opportunity to teach them about "God with Us" and to reflect upon the greatest gift of all - our Lord and Savior.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful and so very true! Thank You
ReplyDeletefor sharing
That is a lovely poem. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteit is hard... to deliberately focus on Jesus when the hustle and bustle is all around. but so worth it :) my heart is happy thinking of you celebrating there and me, here :)
ReplyDeleteYour home is just so beautiful all lit up like that!!!! :)
ReplyDeleteOh what a beautiful poem. I love your decorations too, sooo pretty :-)
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful poem for remembering the reason for the season. Madeleine L'Engle is a superb writer.
ReplyDeleteHeidi D., Bellevue, WA
nice post. thanks.
ReplyDeleteI love this poem - it's a good reminder that we can't wait until everything is just right to share the good news of His coming!
ReplyDelete~Adrienne~