He Came for Us

He came not to a temple
Nor to a palace bright;
His face felt not the sunshine,
But homeless chill of night;
No fragrant linens wrapped Him,
His bed was rude and spare.
He came among the lowly,
Their lowliness to share.

He came as Son of David,
God’s kingdom to increase;
To warring sons of Adam
He came as Prince of Peace.
The prophets had foreseen it-
This shoot from Jesse’s stem-
The promised hope of Jacob 
Would come from Bethlehem.

 
He came to free a people,
For ‘Jesus’ was His name;
To bear the sins of many,
The Lord of Love, He came.
He numbered with transgressors;
God’s judgment He withstood.
The splinters of the manger
Foretold a cross of wood.

 
He came for us, true Son of Man,
He came to pain and strife.
The Promised One, Emmanuel,
He came to bring us life!

--K. Hartnett, December 2005

I tried for a contemplative, quiet "feel" with this one.  What a wonderful truth that God so loved the world that He gave His only Son for us (John 3:16).