Twas the Morning After Christmas

"Arise, shine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee..." Isaiah 60:1

Twas the morning after Christmas, when all through the house,

It's quiet at last for the Mom, save the click of her mouse.

The stockings that were hung by the chimney with care,

Now lay next to the tree on the floor that is bare.

The children all sleeping, cuddled next to their toys,

Their hearts filled to overflowing with this year's latest joys.

And Mamma with her coffee, and a cat in her lap,

Asks herself the question:  "Is it too early for a nap?"

When up the stairs there arose with a clatter,

Noisy children!  She springs up to see what was the matter?

Away to the stairwell, with haste she then fretted :

"Don't make me come up there, or you will regret it!"

When all was then quiet, the Mom settled in,

And began counting all her Christmas blessings again.

When there in the Bible, God's promise she sees

in Isaiah, chapter sixty, verses one through verse three.

"Arise, and shine, for thy light has come!" 

is a message for all, not a message for some.

The work God began that first Christmas Day,

Is more than a baby nestled "asleep in the hay."

Those words are a promise, in a land oh so stark,

Of a radiant presence that bursts through the dark.

It's a message of hope, to all those lost in sin,

Of a God who was willing to welcome them again.

"The glory of the Lord is risen upon thee!"

God's presence with man, as a tiny baby.

And though for many Christmas Day is already done,

The reason for it, is the miracle of one:

One God, who loved His creation so completely,

That He sent His one Son in a form that so neatly

Expressed for the people His one message of grace.

One God, dressed as man, dying for one human race.

Though this year's celebration is over and done,

God's working with man has only begun.

The light that was birthed on that first Christmas Day,

Still shines forth today, calling men to the Way.

Yes, Jesus is that Way, that Truth, and that Life.

And those who will come will finish their strife,

And relive again, no longer dark and dispondant, 

But partaking of a life overflowing and abundant.

Twas the morning after Christmas!  The celebration continues!

Let us walk in the light of that first Christmas venue!

Let us share with our neighbors, our family, our friends,

The hope of this day, and God's love without end!

Susan Abbett, with sincerest apologies to Clement Clarke Moore