Christmas is a time for love and fun

Christmas is a time for love and fun,

A time to reshape souls and roots and skies,

A time to give your heart to everyone

Freely, like a rich and lavish sun,

Like a burning star to those whose lonely sighs

Show need of such a time for love and fun.

For children first, whose pain is never done,

Whose bright white fire of anguish never dies,

It's time to give your heart to every one,

That not one angel fall, to hatred won

For lack of ears to listen to her cries,

Or arms to carry him towards love and fun,

Or friends to care what happens on the run

To adult life, where joy or sadness lies.

It's time to give your heart to everyone,

For God loves all, and turns His back on none,

Good or twisted, ignorant or wise.

Christmas is a time for love and fun,

A time to give your heart to everyone.

(Nicholas Gordon)

At Christmas Time

There's nothing like Christmas

And woods deep in snow

To make us remember

The dear long ago.

Down life's weary highway,

Years pass single file,

But deep in us all

Lives a bit of the child.

The same breathless wonder

Floods over us when

The gray skies lose snowflakes

That dance in the wind.

Smoke curling from chimneys,

A white windowpane,

And dear thoughts return

And old joys remain.

The tinkle of sleigh bells

Across a still night,

A warm, shadowed hearth

Whose embers burn bright.

A colorful afghan

Thrown over a chair,

Green holly entwined

Down the length of a stair.

The candlelit church

And the golden bells tell

Of chapters each heart

Remembers so well.

Oh, there's nothing like Christmas

And woods deep in snow

To make us remember

The dear long ago.

(Grace E. Easley)

Santa Claus is coming

He comes in the night! He comes in the night!

He softly, silently comes;

While the little brown heads on the pillows so white

Are dreaming of bugles and drums.

He cuts through the snow like a ship through the foam,

While the white flakes around him whirl;

Who tells him I know not, but he findeth the home

Of each good little boy and girl.

His sleigh it is long, and deep, and wide;

It will carry a host of things,

While dozens of drums hang over the side,

With the sticks sticking under the strings.

And yet not the sound of a drum is heard,

Not a bugle blast is blown,

As he mounts to the chimney-top like a bird,

And drops to the hearth like a stone.

The little red stockings he silently fills,

Till the stockings will hold no more;

The bright little sleds for the great snow hills

Are quickly set down on the floor.

Then Santa Claus mont to the roof like a bird,

And glides to his seat in the sleigh;

Not a sound of a bugle or drum is heard

As he noiselessly gallops away.

He rides to the East, and he rides to the West,

Of his goodies he touches not one;

He eateth the crumbs of the Christmas feast

When the dear little folks are done.

Old Santa Claus doeth all tht he can;

This beautiful mission is his;

Then, children be good to the little old man,

When you find who the little man is.

(Unknown)

The Christ-child lay on Mary's lap

The Christ-child lay on Mary's lap,

His hair was like a light.

(O weary, weary were the world,

But here is all aright.)

The Christ-child lay on Mary's breast

His hair was like a star.

(O stern and cunning are the kings,

But here the true hearts are.)

The Christ-child lay on Mary's heart,

His hair was like a fire.

(O weary, weary is the world,

But here the world's desire.)

The Christ-child stood on Mary's knee,

His hair was like a crown,

And all the flowers looked up at Him,

And all the stars looked down

(G. K. Chesterton)

Christmas Bells
I heard the bells on Christmas Day

Their old, familiar carols play,

And wild and sweet

The words repeat

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And thought how, as the day had come,

The belfries of all Christendom

Had rolled along

The unbroken song

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Till, ringing, singing on its way

The world revolved from night to day,

A voice, a chime,

A chant sublime

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Then from each black, accursed mouth

The cannon thundered in the South,

And with the sound

The Carols drowned

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;

‘There is no peace on earth,’ I said;

‘For hate is strong,

And mocks the song

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!’

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:

‘God is not dead; nor doth he sleep!

The Wrong shall fail,

The Right prevail,

With peace on earth, good-will to men!’

(Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)

Nativity a Christmas

Immensity cloistered in thy dear womb,

Now leaves His well-belov'd imprisonment,

There He hath made Himself to His intent

Weak enough, now into the world to come;

But O, for thee, for Him, hath the inn no room?

Yet lay Him in this stall, and from the Orient,

Stars and wise men will travel to prevent

The effect of Herod's jealous general doom.

Seest thou, my soul, with thy faith's eyes, how He

Which fills all place, yet none holds Him, doth lie?

Was not His pity towards thee wondrous high,

That would have need to be pitied by thee?

Kiss Him, and with Him into Egypt go,

With His kind mother, who partakes thy woe.

(John Donne)

The Three Kings

Three Kings came riding from far away,

Melchior and Gaspar and Baltasar;

Three Wise Men out of the East were they,

And they travelled by night and they slept by day,

For their guide was a beautiful, wonderful star.

The star was so beautiful, large and clear,

That all the other stars of the sky

Became a white mist in the atmosphere,

And by this they knew that the coming was near

Of the Prince foretold in the prophecy.

Three caskets they bore on their saddle-bows,

Three caskets of GOLD with golden keys;

Their robes were of crimson silk with rows

Of bells and pomegranates and furbelows,

Their turbans like blossoming almond-trees.

And so the Three Kings rode into the West,

Through the dusk of the night, over hill and dell,

And sometimes they nodded with beard on breast,

And sometimes talked, as they paused to rest,

With the people they met at some wayside well.

"Of the child that is born," said Baltasar,

"Good people, I pray you, tell us the news;

For we in the East have seen his star,

And have ridden fast, and have ridden far,

To find and worship the King of the Jews."

And the people answered, "You ask in vain;

We know of no King but Herod the Great!"

They thought the Wise Men were men insane,

As they spurred their horses across the plain,

Like riders in haste, who cannot wait.

And when they came to Jerusalem,

Herod the Great, who had heard this thing,

Sent for the Wise Men and questioned them;

And said, "Go down unto Bethlehem,

And bring me tidings of this new king."

So they rode away; and the star stood still,

The only one in the grey of morn;

Yes, it stopped --it stood still of its own free will,

Right over Bethlehem on the hill,

The city of David, where Christ was born.

And the Three Kings rode through the gate and the guard,

Through the silent street, till their horses turned

And neighed as they entered the great inn-yard;

But the windows were closed, and the doors were barred,

And only a light in the stable burned.

And cradled there in the scented hay,

In the air made sweet by the breath of kine,

The little child in the manger lay,

The child, that would be king one day

Of a kingdom not human, but divine.

His mother Mary of Nazareth

Sat watching beside his place of rest,

Watching the even flow of his breath,

For the joy of life and the terror of death

Were mingled together in her breast.

They laid their offerings at his feet:

The GOLD was their tribute to a King,

The frankincense, with its odor sweet,

Was for the Priest, the Paraclete,

The myrrh for the body's burying.

And the mother wondered and bowed her head,

And sat as still as a statue of stone,

Her heart was troubled yet comforted,

Remembering what the Angel had said

Of an endless reign and of David's throne.

Then the Kings rode out of the city gate,

With a clatter of hoofs in proud array;

But they went not back to Herod the Great,

For they knew his malice and feared his hate,

And returned to their homes by another way.

(Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)

Christmas Cheer

Good husband and housewife, now chiefly be glad,

Things handsome to have, as they ought to be had.

They both do provide, against Christmas do come,

To welcome their neighbors, good cheer to have some.

Good bread and good drink, a good fire in the hall,

Brawn, pudding, and souse, and good mustard withal.

Beef, mutton, and pork, and good pies of the best,

Pig, veal, goose, and capon, and turkey well drest,

Cheese, apples and nuts, and good carols to hear,

As then in the country is counted good cheer.

What cost to good husband, is any of this?

Good household provision only it is:

Of other the like, I do leave out a many,

That costeth the husband never a penny.

(Thomas Tusser)
Candlelit Heart

Somewhere across the winter world tonight

You will be hearing chimes that fill the air;

Christmas extends its all-enfolding light

Across the distance...something we can share.

You will be singing, just the same as I,

These familiar songs we know so well,

And you will see these same stars in your sky

And wish upon that brightest one that fell.

I shall remember you and trim my tree,

One shining star upon the topmost bough;

I will hang wreaths of faith that all may see --

Tonight I glimpse beyond the hear and now.

And all the time that we must be apart

I keep a candle in my heart.

Puisi Natal ‘Yang Kudus’

Mereka semua mencari seorang raja

Membantai musuh mereka dan mengangkat mereka;

Engkau datang, seorang bayi kecil

Kedatangan-Mu membuat seorang perempuan menangis.

O, Anak manusia, luruskan hidup saya yang sia-sia

Kehadiran-Mu memberi arti;

Bukan karena roda-roda-Mu di jalan,

Juga bukan karena lautan yang Kau arungi!

Engkau tidak peduli bagaimana atau siapa saya,

Bahkan Engkau turun ke dunia

Untuk menjawab semua kebutuhan saya,

Ya, setia doa yang telah dipanjatkan.

By: George MacDonald

[ Kembali ke atas ]

Puisi Natal ‘Senandung Natal’

Nyanyi suci di malam hari

Mengalun setanggi sesela hati

Adik mengapa dikau sendiri

Bersama abang mari ziarah ke gereja suci

Sunyi hati di gelap hari

Serangga mati di nyala api

Kristus janganlah pergi sertai kami

dalam sepi jalan sendiri

Dan bulan, kerinduan yang dalam

menikam nurani pengembara di perlawatan

Tuhan di palungan betapa pun kebesaran

Manusia nikmat tertidur di peristirahatan

Nyanyi suci di malam sepi

Mengalun hati diayun setanggi

Adik mari berlutut di sini

Tuhan hadir bagi insani

Sunyi suci di gelap dini

Berayun hati digetar nyanyi

Dan adik mari bukakan diri

Kristus istirahlah di hati kami

Kristus! Lindungilah dan berkati

Ajar kami berendah-hati

Dan biarlah tanganmu suci

di dahi kami tersilang aman abadi

By: Suparwata Wiraatmadja

[ Kembali ke atas ]

Puisi Natal ‘Ultah-Nya’

berlapis kemeja baru

dengan kaki jeans biru

aku datang ke ultahNya

padahal aku tak membawa

secuilpun kado tuk diberi

tapi Ia terus terbuka

ia teris memberkati

tanpa henti

ku hanya bisa

menyanyi

memuja,memuja,memuji

melakukan yang Ia hendaki

sampai mati

[ Kembali ke atas ]

Puisi Hari Natal ‘Pujilah Nama-Nya Selalu’

Saat malam tiba

Ada terang bintang bersinar yang sangat indah

Tidak seperti bintang biasa …

Bintang itu memberikan tanda bahwa Sang Juru Selamat sudah hadir di bumi ini

Untukku, kamu, dan kita semua

Yang percaya pada Kristus… Sang Juru Selamat

Kita patut berbangga dan bersukacita

Karena kedatangan-Nya membawa anugerah bagi setiap orang yang mau menerima-Nya

Nyanyikan pujian, penyembahan untuk kemuliaan Kristus

Nyanyikan senantiasa dengan penuh ucapan syukur

Pujilah nama-Nya selalu…

Puisi Natal Pemuda GKPS

Kaum muda kekasih Yesus Kristus

Soraklah puji syukur dalam keiklasan

Sambutlah kedatangannya dalam sukacita

Dengan kumandang yang merdu

Nyanyian pujian Haleluya

Atas kebesaran namaNya yang tak terkirakan

Malam Natal

Tidak hanya perayaan tahunan belaka

Lilin dan pohon Natal telah menjadi saksi

Kemurahan Bapa

Merelakan AnakNya yang tunggal

Sengsara, mati

Dan bangkit pada hari yang ketiga

Dari antara orang mati

Malam ini

Yesus Kristus kekasih hati kita

Telah hadir menggenapi firman Bapa

Dalam kemurahan kasihnya

Melapangkan kematian kita

Menuju taman Firdaus yang memesona

Mari kaum muda

Hidupkan arti Natal yang sesungguhnya

Isi kantong-kontong kosong

Dengan berita sukaria

Untuk kita kumandangkan dalam sukacita

Dengan kasih Yesus Kristus, Ferdinaen Saragih.

Selamat Natal Pemuda GKPS

Kaum muda masa depan gereja, bangsa dan dunia.