The Joy of Glory

*I wrote the following poem as a Christmas gift to the body of believers I serve as pastor. We spent this season going through the book of Philemon…seeing how it is that Christ came to break the spiritual chains of sin and the physical chains of slavery and oppression.  I pray that it fills your heart with the hope, love, joy, and peace of Christ as you celebrate his first Advent and anticipate his second Advent.

All alone within my cell
Four cold walls
Dark and pale

Chains about my hands a feet
Release a dream
Sought in sleep

Amidst the dark joy had been choked
Within my heart
I knew not hope

Then in the night there came a cry
A newborn babe
God come nigh

Divine in flesh the Godhead see
Born is the one
The peasant king

His incarnation wrought with light
Breaking chains
Dispelling night

My prison gone, it’s walls collapsed
By grace through faith
Freed from the past

Christ, he came to break our chains
Call us his own
Give us his name

His birth brought life unto the dead
For death he’s beaten
In our stead

Born to die that we might rise
By faith receive
Eternal life

He gave himself, manger to cross
Suffered for all
A seeming loss

But now he lives forevermore
Risen, ascended
Christ our Lord

He’ll come again in power to reign
A second advent
We proclaim

When we see him, we’ll be complete
Redemption finished
Forever free

Receive him now, yourself forsake
Your life shall he save
Your chains shall he break