Merry Christmas from The Classical Thistle! We pray that you will enjoy this season with your family and friends and remember that God has become flesh and that our Savior will come again. I wanted to share with you a Christmas poem that I performed for our church’s Christmas Eve services. The goal of the poem is to put the Christmas story in a whole biblical theology. PDF Version Here.
“The Promised King Has Come” by Kyle Rapinchuk
In thinking about Christmas that’s just round the corner
I wonder “Will we get it right?”
What’s the significance? What really happened?
When a virgin gave birth on that night
See the baby she bore though he looked like all others
Was certainly not the same
He was sent by the Father with a mission to save
And Jesus was his name
But while many will huddle ‘round tables and trees
This Christmas to read of his birth
The story begins quite a long time before
When Yahweh created the earth
So in order to tell you why Christmas is important
Rather than starting where you may anticipate
I must first begin with the problem we have
Of sin and where it originates
For just at the moment sin entered the world
So did the curse on creation
But a promise to Eve of her offspring to come
Who would bring about restoration
But the promise God made to send forth a savior
Did not stop there with Eve
In Genesis 12, 15, 17, 22
This redeemer will be Abraham’s seed
Then from Judah will come a king like no other
To whom the scepter belongs
God brings him out of Egypt and raises him up
As proclaimed in Balaam’s song
And this king will be more says Deuteronomy 18
Though it’s a passage that many are missin’
Cause the king that they longed for will be also a prophet
The one to whom they are to listen
Then though Joshua brings Israel into the land
He cannot provide them rest
Cause the son promised to David, some 400 years later
Is the one who’ll provide rest the best
So in the remainder of the books that we call historical
We wonder, “Is this king our guy?”
But though some kings of Judah do right in God’s eyes
They all fail and eventually die
In the wisdom and poetry books one can see
Many more passages looking for him
And the prophets continue this hopeful approach
Though the outlook was often quite dim
I could go on all day about Old Testament texts
That point us to God’s promised Son
But here I’ll be brief, give just a few key examples
To show you that he is the one
Psalm 2 and 110, he’s the king and the priest
The one kings and nations must praise
And in 72 he will bless all the nations
And the Lord will lengthen his days
Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the Twelve
Have much to say to one who’s observant
He’s the child, the judge, the branch of David, the shepherd
But he’s also the suffering servant
Yet they go into exile for 70 years
Before returning home
And though they are back in the land God had promised
The conquering king has not come
Silence……………………………………………….
………………………………………………………….
400 years the Lord had nothing to say
Until he brought forth a prophet named John to prepare the way
And a young Jewish virgin received startling news
About a child she would bear who was king of the Jews
Then all in a rush we see Scripture fulfilled
The Son of God sent, the king revealed
Son of Abraham and David, the king of the earth
Hailed by shepherds then wise men, the king from his birth
Open your Bible, turn to Matthew 1&2
And look at his list of what the prophets foreknew
He was born of a virgin as Isaiah 7 proclaims
In Bethlehem, the place Micah 5:2 names
God calls him out of Egypt, Hosea 11, but wait
He also looks back to the king in Numbers 24:8
But Herod so jealous kills all boys under two in the nation
Stirring echoes of Jeremiah 31 and Rachel’s loud lamentation
Then one more fulfillment, seemingly out of place in v. 23
The claim that this king shall be called a Nazarene
But by looking at the Hebrew word netzer we see
That Matthew means the branch of Isaiah 11:1b
We see Jesus all over the New Testament pages
Fulfilling what was spoken by the prophets through the ages
There’s just a few more examples I’d like to impart
But as I do so I ask you to examine your heart
What place does this king have in your life? I ask you to consider
Because what he did for you demands more than following him on Twitter
So here it goes, my gospel presentation
While rhyming the message of Mark to Revelation
The same wisdom in Proverbs 8 active in creation
Was the Word in John 1 and the Son in Colossians
Hebrews 1 declares he’s the image, the imprint
Of the invisible God, become man, heaven-sent
Though the Lord of creation at the Father’s right hand
He humbled himself in becoming a man
The Word from eternity taking on flesh
And dwelling among us though this world’s a mess
Think about how the one John called God’s lamb
Is the Lion of Judah, the Great I AM
Gave up his lifestyle, divine though it was
Becoming a servant and dying, for us
Yet he rose from the dead, he couldn’t be held by the grave
And with his resurrection, shown mighty to save
Now he’s been given a name above any other
Yet still condescends to call sinners his brother
Provided they trust him as Savior and Lord
By repenting of sin and trusting his word
It requires faith, being led by the Spirit
Then God grants salvation to those with ears to hear it
And though he has come the first time to save
He will come again to judge at the end of days
He’ll establish his kingdom, do justice on earth
And all of his people will ascribe him his worth
So this Christmas instead of just playing some tunes
About Rudolf and Frosty and dads in Santa costumes
How about we think on the most gracious treasure
Ever given to man by quite a long measure
For the gift of the Son, our example and savior
Our Lord and Redeemer become baby in a manger
So let us raise our voice with the angelic host
To the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
©2017 Kyle D. Rapinchuk
You may share and publicly read this poem, but please do not make changes to it or republish it.
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