A Cowboy's Christmas

[John Pierce]

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I took a shorter Christmas poem I had written for the Defender and expanded it for a Cowboy Magazine I occasionally write articles for.

I hope you enjoy it.

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A Cowboy's Christmas - By John Pierce
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The snow was falling softly
On The Kansas plains that night
With a crust upon the snow
Reflecting moonlight soft and bright

The good folk in the church
Were singing carols with a grin
When the doors were slammed wide open
And a stranger walked right in

Well you could have heard a pin drop
As the heads all turned to stare
At the snowy apparition
That was calmly standing there

His face was strong and rugged
But his eyes were shining bright
As he asked the congregation
"May I join you here tonight?"

The preacher took one look at him
And the guns low on his hips
And the grin fled from his face
And a sneer came to his lips

For the preacher wasn't from those parts
He'd come there from the East
"What does a man who wears those guns ..
need in this house of peace?"

The silence became deeper
And many felt some fear
But the stranger simple smiled
"Oh ... they have a place here!"

"That bible in your hand ..
Holds the wisdom of the ages ..
And there is much to learn ..
From the lessons on its pages ..

So let me tell you why ..
These are so very treasured ..
For they often are the yardstick ..
On which our life is measured ..

And if you don't believe me ..
Let me tell you all a story ..
It comes from my favorite part ..
Of that book of Heavenly glory ..

For Long ago and far away ..
Three wise men left their homes ..
You know the object of their quest ..
And the many months they roamed ..

And being wise ... for wise they were ..
They prepared for all they'd find ..
They carried frankincense and myrrh ..
And gold and food and wine ..

But before they'd packed the first of these ..
They sharpened sword and knife ..
For being wise ... and wise they were ..
They protected first their life ..

For though they sought the Prince of Peace ..
And wished it on the land ..
They knew that danger always lurks ..
And dogs the steps of man ..

Now armed with weapons on their hips ..
They traveled without fear ..
Allowing them to reach their goal ..
Where a blazing star appeared ..

It lead them to a simple shed ..
That housed beasts of the field ..
They made it to the birth of God ..
Protected by cold steel ..

And though the Angels of the host ..
Stood guard o'er them that night ..
These three wise men were ready ..
Should they be called to fight ..

So follow in the paths of kings ..
Whose wisdom flowed so wide ..
Seek peace in everything you do ..
But wear protection on your side!"

 

[markand]

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Excellent sentiment and story! There are numerous places in the bible where self defense is not only justified, but expected of us. Pastors sometimes need to be reminded that one of the last things Jesus said to his disciples was "He who has no sword should sell his coat and buy one." Luke 22:36

Concerning the above poem, just for historical and biblical accuracy, there are some commonly held beliefs surrounding Christmas and the "wise men" that are worth pointing out.

The only place the "wise men" and the Christmas star are mentioned is in Matthew, chapter 2. Were there 3 wise men? There were 3 gifts, but the bible is completely silent as to the number of wise men. Some say that 3 is an unlikely number as the journey was long and a group of three would likely have been robbed before reaching their destination. 3, 3 dozen, 300. We just don't know. They surely wold have been carrying weapons to defend themselves from bandits and such, however many there were.

Did the wise men visit the manger, as is seen in almost every church nativity scene? No. Not possible, and contrary to what is recorded in the bible. Matthew 2, verse 1 states that the wise men began their journey AFTER the baby Jesus was born. The trip, probably from what is now modern day Iran, would have taken some time. There is no way they could have made it shortly after His birth. Further, verse 11 states clearly that the wise men visited the HOUSE where Jesus was living, NOT the manger where he rested after He was born. Jesus was likely almost 2 years old when the wise men finally visited, as verse 16 states that Herod ordered the murder of all of the male children under 2 years of age, based upon the time of birth that the wise men told Herod when they saw him (Herod didn't want a rival for the kingship).

What about the star over the manger in all of the nativity scenes that led the shephards and wise men? The shephards were led to the manger by an angel, NOT a star (Luke 2:12). No mention whatsoever of a star is made in the shephards' or the manger story in the bible. What was the star that led the wise men? It is clear from the account in Matthew 2, that Herod could not and did not see this "star". Neither did any of Herod's advisors or wise men. In fact, it is unlikely that the "star" was anything spectacular or visible in the sky to most people. The "star" also probably came and went, otherwise the wise men would have had no cause to stop and ask Herod for directions. No comet. No supernova. It could have been an otherwise unremarkable celestial event, or conjunction of events, discernable only to people who carefully studied the sky, or it could have been a supernatural revelation that only the wise men could see. We just don't know.

And while we are busting Christmas myths, those shephards tending their flocks are unlikely to have been doing so in the dead of winter. Its too cold. Its not done today and isn't likely to have been done at the time of Jesus' birth. This means that the date of Christ's actual birth is probably some other time of the year, not December 25. When? Spring, summer or fall? We don't know. December 25 was chosen by Pope Julius I in 350 AD, more than 3 centuries after the birth of Jesus, because it was on or close to the winter solstice and was the date of another holiday already being celebrated. A convenient date, not necessarily an accurate one.

By all means, go read your bibles and check this out. Nevertheless, Christmas is a wonderful event to celebrate: God's great gift of His Son to the world "that whosoever should believe in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).

Have a Merry Christmas!

 

[kimbercarrier]

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Again Mr Pierce you have done a great job, thank you sir. kimbercarrier
And may the peace and wisdom of CHRIST be wth you and yours.