Magi in their mystery,
Studying the skies,
First received the message
That a king should rise.
Many duties claimed them,
Cares of peace and war;
Far and faint the promise
Offered by a star.
Yet the wise men followed,
Taking various ways,
Trusting in the portent
Many nights and days.
So the star led onward
Till, at the due hour,
There they found a baby
Bearer of God’s power.
Child of strength in weakness,
Sent at love’s command,
May all people seek you
Out of every land.
To all those who find you
A gift beyond compare
And if our hearts are open
God’s Son will enter there.
Sheila Durbin
Sheila Durbin’s book of collected poems, ‘Catching the Light’, is now available, price £3.50, from LivingStones Bookshop in Fleet Road, Fleet, or by contacting John Gibbons on 01252 614200.
Image: A Star in the East, William Ladd Taylor