Following the King

Have you knelt in the hay yet today?

As He fervently prays over you...

Have you felt its bittersweet, warm prickles?

Signifying the mixture of hope and

anguish yet to come, as this baby grew

into a man, who grew into our King.

Have you lost yourself in His quiet wonder?

As the distractions of the earth tug even harder...

Have you let yourself go into the silent night,

quietly by candlelight, as the shiny distractions of the world, incessantly tug for your attention?

Have you followed the lead of the North Star?

Shining your light amidst the darkness,

as Satan continuously strives to extinguish it...

Have you been a source of light to others,

leading them back to the Light of the World,

with every step you take?

Have you sung Him a quiet hymn?

Letting your heart speak the words

that your lips just cannot say...

Humming along to the angelic psalms

of praise, quietly pouring forth from the

descendants of Noah's animals, lying

in still wonder, next to the Lamb of God.

Have you worshipped at His feet?

As He prepares to spend His life washing yours...

Serving others as He served; meeting Him in

the face of each of His children; giving food

to the hungry, drink to the thirsty, and

shelter to the homeless, reflecting His

abundant mercy, with every encounter you make.

Have you walked in His footsteps?

As His clothes were torn to tatters...

While the wooden cross drug behind

His blood-stained footsteps.

Following along, step-by-step;

stride-by-stride, as He took His last

Earthly breath and prepared to bridge

the gap, from forgiveness and grace,

to life-everlasting without a hint of suffering.

Have you been seeking Him?

Have you been preparing the way?

Have you been making room in your own inn?

In your weary heart?

In your exhausted soul?

To welcome Him once again?

Have you kept your way?

When the path became tethered?

And you felt too lost to be found again?

Stumbling in His ceaseless grace...

...from wooden manger to wooden cross...

...from the baby lamb to the grown Savior...

...from dust to eternity...

Have you followed the King along the path?

From

His first breath in the warm, welcoming manger; to His last breath on the cold, heavy cross... witnessing the unmatched obedience to sacrifice His life, as we prepare to once again celebrate His gift of life and promise to return among us, to gently carry us home,

forevermore.