I’m not sure they’re much interested in
Having as their King anyone other than
The baby Jesus, of whom they can readily
Make what they will in that quaint manger.
They do not seem to like the half
Of what the man Jesus said,
And less, still, of what he said
He would do upon his return.
But the baby?
The baby said nothing at all,
Making him much easier to fashion
Into a God of their own making
Which seems to be what the proud
Have always sought to do, to some extent.
Really, all they have to do for that is to
Edit what the herald angels said―going from this:
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
Luke 2:14. ESV
To something more like this:
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
Luke 2:14. KJV
And with enough of that message going around,
They easily forget how the birth of Jesus
Struck terror into the heart of wicked Herod―
Him being no pleaser of God at all―
And they pretend the baby Jesus into a figure
That would scare no one,
And the celebration of whose birth
Can effectively distract them from
The Lion’s share of his Earth-troubling message.
Anybody can endure the sermons
And judgments of a baby, of course.
But who, having as their king
The whole of Jesus, would be content
With this mindless tradition?
