Sweet is the hour past midnight,
when angels gather and watch from above,
what happens in homes on Christmas Eve.
when children sleep, and all is very quiet.
Packages appear from cellar, attic and closets
with rolls of paper and ribbons for wrapping,
and mom smiles at dad, on his hands and knees,
reading assembly instructions written by Japanese.
Gifts are stacked beneath and around the Christmas tree,
and only one task remains before parents stop to share
a kiss beneath the mistletoe, and cup of Christmas tea.
Into each of the empty stockings hung from the mantle
they stuff sweets and nuts, oranges, pears and apples.
But the greatest gifts of all that night, or any other,
are the fruits of the Spirit; love, joy, patience and peace,
gentleness, goodness, and faith in abundance,
All these, together with meekness and temperance,
are gifts which cannot be bought, just accepted
and passed along, from loving parents to little ones,
who, in their turn will share them with children of their own.
Author notes
The famous Bible passage about the 'fruit of the Spirit' is in Galatians 5:22, where the apostle Paul lists those fruits, as follows:
love (agape);
joy (chara);
peace (eirene);
patience (makrothumia);
kindness (chrestotes);
goodness (agathosune);
faithfulness (pistis);
gentleness (prautes);
self-control (enkrateia).
It follows that the gifts of the spirit and also the gifts good parents bestow on their children.
A contest entry
- My Favorite Bible Verse and "Why" by slightlyolder.
1500 points, ended September 15, 8 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Comments
1 - 7 of 7
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this poem recreates special feelings for me! it takes me back to a time where you wait all year for one day. and being down on our luck and struggling to get through on some christmas, i learned that the best gifts weren't wraped in colorful paper. Just the love, the joy, peacefulness and closeness was good enough!
reutrn the favor! Excellent piece
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Thank you for reading my poem and sharing your comments. I agree with you that in times of want, we often find more to share in ways that have greater meaning.
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A fine an heart warming Christmas poem, full of nostalgia, and some much needed theology.... bravo... bravo!
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Thank you for your entry. You put a lot of thought into it. Gal. 5:22 is so important to those desiring to live a life pleasing to the Lord.
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this was very interesting, honestly i was lost at the beginning but you brought it at the end. Very nicely done. I really enjoyed reading this
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Thank you for your entry and its profound message.
Well Done!
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A gracious turn of the prompt here. The christmas holiday to give, all the gifts God has shared with us through the year. These relabled and passed to another as all give these over and over without them ever being refused. Lovely description of the most selected gifts to share.
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