With the approach of Christmas, I recently reread the first two chapters of Luke. A ritual in my household as a child was a reading from Luke 2:1-20, which gives the account of the heavenly host appearing to the shepherds in the field. What is notable about Luke 1-2 is the prominent place given to songs of praise. Mary, Zachariah, and Simeon give glory to God by singing the Magnificat, Benedictus, and Nunc Dimittis, respectively. These hymns are a mixture of thanksgiving and prophesy, foreseeing the role that Christ will play in the salvation of all mankind. The shepherds, however, are not given a similar voice.
A few weeks ago, Redeemer Arlington requested works of poetry for their first Christmas Eve service. I wrote a version of the poem below in response. While it was in the end not selected for the service, I would like to share it here. It is my imagining of what a shepherd’s hymn might have looked like.
Shepherd’s Song
In the child’s eyes, I beheld a king,
His breath the grace of morning dew.
In his cry I heard our brokenness,
This fragile form we can’t renew.
My lips unclean, iniquitous life –
Transgression weighed upon my heart.
But in this Christ, this infant face,
I saw a people set apart.
As morning flowed upon the hills,
I saw death’s stone rolled aside.
Our hands will wound, but his will heal,
And sin no longer shall abide.
I fell before him, this newborn child,
Magnificent God and counselor-king.
For grace shall flow from his side,
And no fear, no shame will leave its sting.
A Road to Emmaeus 