Poems, Prayers, and Reflections for Christmas

A hopeful collection of words

Dec 23, 2024

Hello!

Today’s post is free for everyone. If you would like to support the work I do here, I’d love to have you support this ministry at the monthly, annual, or founding member level.

Become a paid subscriber today

This is a different kind of post.

I feel like all of my posts are different kinds of posts, but this one is. It is a collection of poems, prayers, and reflections. There might be something in here for you. I think there is. Maybe a word or line or reminder. As you read, take your time. Let these words find you where you sit. Share them with a friend. Comment what stuck out to you.

Enjoy!

Much love,

Tanner

How do we wait?

We wait, just as we move forward. We open our hands and look up. We long. We anticipate. We hope. Like always, we hope and pray, seeking forgiveness and resting in mercy. We watch the birds, the flowers, and the trees. Miracles, too. We give grace. We ask why. We wonder how. We ask for help. We look to the heavens. We make our coffee. We give to the poor. We work for peace. We speak of beautiful things.We step into each new day, knowing all of it—this life—is a gift. We grieve. We cry. We try. We trust. We write what we need to hear. We play that playlist that has carried us through what we never thought we'd survive. We remember that God has carried us through everything we've already faced. And we keep going through whatever we're facing now. We wait with hope, moving forward, trusting in God's love and faithfulness, holding on for dear life with open hands.

A Christmas Poem

Christ, our King

I know this isn’t a merry Christmas for everyone

Divorce papers are being signed. A miscarriage is being announced. A funeral is being planned. Depression lingers. A relapse has occurred. Money is tight. So are the clothes. The business is struggling. You are, too. Plans are being canceled. The pregnancy test is negative. The cancer has returned. Trauma is being worked through. The past is being processed. Joy feels distant. Hope seems far off. Anxiety is rising.

What a heavy, complex, and beautiful thing it is to be here and alive.

In the midst of it all, I’m learning this: Grief doesn’t check the calendar—it just arrives. But so did Christ. And this is what I will hold onto this Christmas when I begin to feel overwhelmed.

Prayer

God,
Give me the strength to drop my arms and open my hands as I sit with all I don’t understand. Let me surrender my need to be where I am not and to believe I can be right where I am. Let me rest in the mercy that comes morning after morning, the peace that came through a Virgin’s womb, and the hope that remains in the waiting. And I am waiting for the night to arrive, so I can step outside, look up at the sky, and remember You know and I don’t need to wonder why.

Amen.

Wonder Why

A poem

Hope from the heavens,
Wonder fills the world.
Glory in the highest, now beside us-
But I can’t help but wonder:

Why?

Why would Christ leave His home?
Why step down from His throne?
Why leave where He reigned
to take on our sin and stain?

Yet humble beauty appears,
To meet our wonder and our fears.
A promise long foretold,
Christ was sent to restore,
To make us whole,
To give our groaning questions an answer,
to worship and adore.

Everything changed when Immanuel arrived.
The Hope of Heaven, alive-
and no longer do I need to wonder why.

Jesus met our shame with a grace
That will forever reign,
Took on the world’s pain,
Broke every chain for our gain,
Entered endless strife
So we could have eternal life.
For us, Love has arrived-
and no longer do I need to wonder why.