Christmas In Covid Times

Midst efforts to resolve a viral pandemic Causing global illness and death epidemic As we process the merits of our heartfelt fears Mixed with worry, doubt, dread, anger, and sometimes tears Let’s not forget about the virgin who conceived A child sent from God, so our sins could be relieved. As we shelter in our places of seclusion Where once welcomed visits are now an intrusion As we inhale and exhale covered by our mask While simple routines are now a cumbersome task Let’s recall that to the virgin a child was born Who would bring hope, joy, and peace to a world forlorn When six feet apart striving for social distance Has become the new normal of our existence When our multiple efforts of sanitation Instigates within us constant aggravation Visit the manger, see Joseph and his betrothed Gaze upon the child who in swaddling rags was clothed When the news of more COVID cases scours the land When the ones who govern hand down a new demand When after each encounter we wash our hands clean As we hope and pray each day for a new vaccine Listen to the voices of the angelic throng Announcing the Messiah’s presence in their song As new stipulations create family strain And events occur causing economic pain When we come in close contact with those infected Then obey rules of quarantine as directed Let’s treasure the glorious news of a savior Who came to remedy our sinful behavior When we grieve a cherished friend or loved one who dies And we can’t properly gather to say goodbyes When we want to weep and give each other a hug But we are restricted to a stare and a shrug Let’s join the angels in praising the Prince of Peace For in His grace and mercy we will find release When each retail store bears the sign “masks are required” And every adventure makes us tense and tired When we learn that someone had a positive test And we retreat to our homes for much needed rest Let’s treasure Jesus, ponder His truth in our heart With fresh faith in Him tomorrow a new day start Midst our expressed concerns about the world’s future Worrying that the wounds are too deep to suture When mental anguish and fear are out of control When encouraging words lack power to console Recall that our purpose is to give Christ glory And our mission is to propagate His story