God Did Come So Near

In the still and peace of night
Beneath the star's guiding light
A tiny infant lay fast asleep
Amid the cattle and wooly sheep
As angels sang the king is here
While our God did come so near

No palace for the king's arrival
But a barnyard stable for His survival
The baby lay in a manger of wood
By His side; Mary and Joseph stood
As angels sang the king is here
While our God did come so near

No royal welcome for our deity
Just the stench of cattle on bended knee
And a carpenter with a teenage girl
No realizing exactly what did unfurl
As angels sang the king is here
While our God did come so near

Shepherds were the first to know
On that night so long ago
Followed by wise men seeking the babe
Gifts for the newborn king they gave
As angels sang the king is here
While our God did come so near

The shepherds spread the news around
Many wondered at what they found
But many turned their back on the king
Not believing as to the world they cling
As angels sang the king is here
While our God did come so near!

This poem was a finalist in the December 2011 poetry contest