"But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy." — Titus 3:4–5a
God our Savior,
In our dark night you looked and saw.
Saw us in our mess and failing,
In our loneliness and longing,
In our heartache and our wandering.
You saw us in our endless doing,
Proving worth with constant striving,
Piling up, yet never filling.
You saw us in our self-made prison,
Bound to pleasures and to passion,
Enslaved to vices and devices.
You saw us in our discontent,
Posturing, posing to pretend,
Climbing others for position,
You saw it all, and you saw us,
Pitiful, yet pitiless,
Selfish servants of our sin.
You saw us, ever chasing,
Ever chased, backward looking,
Helpless, wanted, trapped, and tripping.
You saw it all, and loved us still.
Not recoiling, but embracing.
Not discarding, but restoring.
Jesus our Savior,
When your Father asked, you came.
You came and became a man,
Entering our self-made prison,
Not for judgment, but salvation.
You came, a light into our dark,
Gently laying bare our hearts,
Showing us our helplessness.
In kindness and in love, you came,
To give us mercy and reclaim,
Us from this awful mess we’ve made.
You came and you remained unstained,
Yet not unscathed; you took our pain,
Our penalty, our debts, our name.
You came and conquered death for us,
And now your life you offer us,
Fulfilling all God’s promises.
Wonder of wonders, Jesus, you came,
To give your glory for our shame,
Your truth, your life, and your good name.
You left, but didn’t leave to stay,
Your Spirit leads us in your way,
‘Til your return on that great day.
So triune God, we praise your name!
You saw, and came, and still remain,
And you will bring us home one day.
Good tidings of great joy are these,
For all people who would receive,
And this glad news of hope, believe!
Amen.
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When our team read this poem, we decided we needed a printable version to use as a prayer with our friends and family at our Christmas celebrations. You can download a beautifully designed printable for free here!
