The Friendly Beasts
Traditional

Jesus, our brother, kind and good,
Was humbly born in a stable rude,
And the friendly beasts around Him stood;
Jesus, our brother, kind and good.

"I", said the donkey, shaggy and brown
"I carried His mother up hill and down;
I carried her safely to Bethlehem town;
I", said the donkey, shaggy and brown.

"I", said the cow, all white and red,
"I gave Him my manger for His bed;
I gave Him my hay to pillow His head;
I", said the cow, all white and red.

"I", said the sheep with curly horn,
"I gave Him my wool for His blanket warm.
He wore my coat on Christmas morn.
I", said the sheep with curly horn.

"I", said the dove from the rafters high,
"Cooed Him to sleep, that He should not cry,
We cooed Him to sleep, my mate and I.
I", said the dove from the rafters high.

Thus every beast by some good spell,
In the stable dark was glad to tell
Of the gift he gave Emmanuel,
The gift he gave Emmanuel.

Not Only Christmas Day

Lord, this is my prayer
Not only on Christmas Day
But until I see You face to face
May I live my life this way:

Just like the baby Jesus
I ever hope to be,
Resting in Your loving arms
Trusting in Your sovereignty.

And like the growing Christ child
In wisdom daily learning,
May I ever seek to know You
With my mind and spirit yearning.

Like the Son so faithful
Let me follow in Your light,
Meek and bold, humble and strong
Not afraid to face the night.

Nor cowardly to suffer
And stand for truth alone,
Knowing that Your kingdom
Awaits my going home.

Not afraid to sacrifice
Though great may be the cost,
Mindful how You rescued me
From broken-hearted loss.

Like my risen Savior
The babe, the child, the Son,
May my life forever speak
Of who You are and all You've done.

So while this world rejoices
And celebrates Your birth,
I treasure You, the greatest gift
Unequaled in Your worth.

I long to hear the same words
That welcomed home Your Son,
"Come, good and faithful servant,"
Your Master says, "Well done."

And may heaven welcome others
Who will join with me in praise
Because I lived for Jesus Christ
Not only Christmas Day

-- Mary Fairchild

Christmas Gift

Our gift to you this Christmas time
Comes in the form of Christmas rhyme,
And just in time to help you feel
A love of God, to know He's real.

Sometimes our thoughts of earthly things
Get caught up in what Santa brings,
Instead of thinking of the birth
Of our dear Lord, who came to earth.

Because God loves us, everyone,
He sent to us His special Son.
Christ gave His life so we might be
A family throughout eternity.

Because He paid the price for sin,
We can be blessed to live with Him.
This is His gift He gave us all,
To help us back, if we should fall.

Our gift to him could be this year
A testimony strong and clear,
A knowledge that we know He's there
And hears us when we kneel in prayer.

If you could find the time each day
To study, ponder, read and pray,
The Savior will be part of you,
A promise that we know is true.

Our gift to you this Christmas time
Comes in the form of Christmas rhyme,
And just in time to help you feel
A love of God, to know He's real.

Marsha Vandermyde

Rescued Dog's Christmas Poem

'Tis the night before Christmas and all through the town,
every shelter is full - we are lost but not found,
Our numbers are hung on our kennels so bare,
we hope every minute that someone will care,
They'll come to adopt us and give us the call,
"Come here, Max and Sparkie - come fetch your new ball!!

But now we sit here and think of the days..
we were treated so fondly - we had cute, baby ways,
Once we were little, then we grew and we grew -
now we're no longer young and we're no longer new.
So out the back door we were thrown like the trash,
they reacted so quickly - why were they so rash?
We "jump on the children:, "don't come when they call",
we "bark when they leave us", climb over the wall.
We should have been neutered, we should have been spayed,
now we suffer the consequence of the errors THEY made.

If only they'd trained us, if only we knew...
we'd have done what they asked us and worshiped them, too.
We were left in the backyard, or worse -let to roam-
now we're tired and lonely and out of a home.
They dropped us off here and they kissed us good-bye...
"Maybe someone else will give you a try."
So now here we are, all confused and alone...
in a shelter with others who long for a home.

The kind workers come through with a meal and a pat,
with so many to care for, they can't stay to chat,
They move to the next kennel, giving each of us cheer...
we know that they wonder how long we'll be here.
We lay down to sleep and sweet dreams fill our heads..
of a home filled with love and our own cozy beds.
Then we wake to see sad eyes, brimming with tears --
our friends filled with emptiness, worry, and fear.
If you can't adopt us and there's no room at the Inn --
could you help with the bills and fill our food bin?
We count on your kindness each day of the year --
can you give more than hope to everyone here?
Please make a donation to pay for the heat...
and help get us something special to eat.
The shelter that cares for us wants us to live,
and more of us will, if more people will give.