The Unthinkable: A Christmas Poem

The Unthinkable: A Christmas Poem

The Unthinkable

The angels gaze down from heaven,
“The land is doomed,” they say.
Man has rejected the Lord,
He worships himself instead of God.

As the angels lament the fall of man,
They hear the Voice,
The Father speaking from His Throne,
and they stop and listen.

“I have seen the misery of man,” declares the Father.
“I have looked upon his misfortune,
I have endured his betrayal,
But I will have mercy on him.”

The angels rejoice, but they wonder as well,
How will the Father accomplish His Will?
Though He is the Omnipotent One,
They know this will be His greatest work.

The Father continues,
“I will send someone from heaven,
One who will become a man,
One who will save my people.

“This one will suffer and die,
But in his suffering and death,
Man will be made whole again,
And raised to new heights of glory.

“Whom shall I send?”

The angels look to one another,
“Which of us will he send?
How can an angel—a spirit—become man?
Is this possible, even for the Lord of Hosts?”

Then the unthinkable happens:
God the Son, seated at the right hand of the Father,
Rises, turns to the Father, and says, 
“Here am I, send me!”

The angels are silent,
Unable to comprehend the Son’s words.
God Himself, becoming man?
What a great mystery this is!

The Word become flesh,
Wisdom become folly,
The King become a slave,
The Mighty One become a human babe?

Then the angels break their silence,
In the face of this great mystery,
In light of the unfathomable love of God,
They thunder out their eternal song:

“Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, 
who was, and who is, and who is to come!
Thou art worthy, O Lord our God, 
to receive glory, and honour, and power!”

Composed Christmas Day 2019