Through the thoroughfares of Zion
On the sun-swept morning air
Sounds the rage of priests and people
Searing all with scorn and glare.
Why in this the festive season
Must this savage spirit reign?
Why must joyful tones of worship
Lose their notes in hurt and pain?
In the midst of hateful shouters
Limps a form with gentle eyes
Beaten, bloodied, yet undaunted
Soon to grasp the cosmic prize.
Straining to behold the horror
Thoughts unbidden haunt my mind
Words and deeds of grace and mercy
From a heart supremely kind.
O that day when I first saw Him,
With the children at His side!
Telling stories rich with meaning
Humble hearts to mold and guide.
Then at once my memories wakened
As I heard the crowd converse
Calling forth the ancient Scriptures
And a most disturbing verse.
Yes, they said, the prophet Micah
Speaking of the coming King
Said in Bethlehem of Judah
Heaven’s joy His birth would bring.
Long ago I kept a hostel
In that unpretentious place
When the crush of pagan taxes
Brought despair to every face.
From the crowd, that peasant couple
Seeking lodging for the night
That dear girl, in deep travail
Pleading solace in her plight!
In the years to come I pondered
If in fact that child was Him
If the One now torn and suffering
Lay within that stable’s rim.
Was it I who told His parents
That the inn had none to spare?
Was it I who gave Him shelter
With the ox, the mule, the hare?
When the Son of God came needful
Of a place to lay His head,
Why did I not seize the moment
And bequeath to Him my bed?
Now I linger at a distance
As He hangs upon the cross
All at once my heart convulses
As I fear eternal loss.
“Lord Messiah, hear my weeping,
“Take my shattered, sin-stained heart,
“Take it all, not just a stable,
“Love and peace at last impart.”
Pastor Kevin Paulson holds a Bachelor’s degree in theology from Pacific Union College, a Master of Arts in systematic theology from Loma Linda University, and a Master of Divinity from the SDA Theological Seminary at Andrews University. He served the Greater New York Conference of Seventh-day Adventists for ten years as a Bible instructor, evangelist, and local pastor. He writes regularly for Liberty magazine and does script writing for various evangelistic ministries within the denomination. He continues to hold evangelistic and revival meetings throughout the North American Division and beyond, and is a sought-after seminar speaker relative to current issues in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. He presently resides in Berrien Springs, Michigan