There You Were

December 25 2011, 8:46 pm | Bill Elliff

There You were, where You’d always been;

Standing in the heavens.

Every angel stood amazed

As they gazed upon Your beauty—more than duty.

For in You was perfect light.

What a sight…the mind of God!

The heart of love that no one else could claim;

No one was the same.

There You were. 

 

There You were.

You knew it all and had it all

And standing tall you ruled celestial halls.

And then the voice, Your Father’s word,

“Let’s make a world!

Let’s speak it into being, give it meaning.”

“Let’s make some creatures so like us

They even have a choice.

And they can choose to love as us,

To think and dream, create as us,

And then the universe will see, the glory that can be,

When Father, Spirit, Son create,

In Our image, let us make.”

 

And through the void You spoke Your words.

A blinding light broke through the night,

And sun and moon and stars were cast.

You had a blast, laughing in eternal bliss.

Oh, look at this! You made the hippopotamus,

And kangaroo and monkey too;

A heavenly zoo and all of it reflected You.

There You were. 

 

“But something’s missing,” so You said,

“Let’s make the best, the crowning art.”

And so You took your heart and made us then.

From just Your mind we came.

Your wisdom named us man and wife.

You made our lungs and breathed in life.

We were nothing without You.

And there You were.

 

But in that garden, pure and sweet

Another creature lived, a fallen one.

He had come to steal your crown,

And slithering round he took us down.

It was our choice, we turned from You.

The hand that made us we now shunned.

We ran from Spirit, Father, Son.

We spit on You and in our pride

We thought we had a better plan.

O foolish, foolish man!

And opening that fateful box

All hell was loosened upon Your world

and You looked down and wept.

There You were. 

 

But You knew all before the fall.

You knew we’d sin and run from You.

And when the holy time had come

With perfect pace you looked around the place You lived

And thought not twice about Your course

One with God, You let it go,

Cascading to the earth below,

To take the form of those You made;

A single cell within the womb of virgin maid.

You took the lowest place you could—

O sacred servanthood!

Confined Yourself to straw and wood

Within a humble stall,

You gave it all.

Here You were.

 

And every day You grew, in stature, favor, wisdom too,

But people laughed at You.

Some marveled at Your grace, the kindness of Your beaming face,

Your quickened pace to head somewhere.

They didn’t care

But You knew why You’d come.

You knew there was a hill for You,

To take our place.

The purest One who knew no sin,

To pardon us and make us right again.

To make a way we could be one

With Father, Spirit, Son.

So there You were, impaled upon a roman cross,

Excruciating loss, to gain us back unto Yourself.

There…there upon the cross…You were! 

Now here You are.

 

Opening nail-scarred hands to me—why can’t I see?

Every bird and flower, tree—every act of history

Is shouting of Your love for me.

Calling from above to me, the very least,

That I could be restored.

O blessed, blessed Lord!

 

So, on this quiet Christmas day

I use these lips you made to say,

The One who gave up heaven’s throne to grace a stable here,

I now enthrone upon my willing heart.

You are my Lord, the King of Kings, above all gods;

There is no greater One—Oh, all-forgiving Son!

And with my knees I bow, amazed,

That you would grace another humble place,

For here—here within my heart—you are!

 

Bill Elliff

Christmas, 2011

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