For Unto Us a Child is Born

I was originally planning on posting this poem during Christmastime, but I never got around to it (sorry--that semester was killer). Anyways, this past winter I had the opportunity to study the New Testament more deeply than I ever had before. As I read about the birth and ministry of Jesus Christ, my mind kept coming back to a single verse of scripture:

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)

 I have always loved this verse because it, first and foremost, shows Christ's humble beginnings. He was born in a strange place to a woman who would have inevitably been forgotten by history, had it not been for her Son's divine legacy. He had no home, no nursery, no bed. A manger--a feeding trough for animals--was Jesus' first throne (Luke 2:7). 

And yet this small child, born in poverty and uncertainty, was destined for so much more. He was called by God to be a light in the darkness, to teach truth with love, to be the perfect example, and to--ultimately--become our Savior, suffering and dying for our sins. But before all of that, He was a young mother's firstborn son.

...

The lonely star of Bethlehem,

Born to lift man from death and sin,

The Savior of a world condemned,

In a small manger doth begin.

Heavenly and earthly fathers

With gentle eyes watch o’er their son,

Who offered to endure the altar,

Their precious child, the Holy One.

To prince of Heaven sound asleep,

The humble babe and little King,

The Shepherd of both lamb and sheep,

Mother and angels softly sing.