From the Manger to the Cross

  •   Tue, Dec 02 2025
  •   By Anita Britto, Auckland

December 2, 2025

From the Manger to the Cross
Come December, Christmas fills the air with love and joy
For we celebrate the birthday of a precious baby boy
I reach into my attic for the Crib I use each year
And ornaments that fill my heart with happy thoughts and cheer

My Nativity figures are glad to see the light
And the sight of Baby Jesus - fills them with delight
The carpenter in me feels the urge to add a sheep
Perhaps even a shepherd watching our infant sleep

So I stride into my workshop to choose a block of wood
Solid, strong and sacred – befitting of sainthood
For among the ox and donkey lies a sacrificial lamb
Who’ll meet a fate quite different from the son of Abraham

My hands are far from worthy for the task that lies ahead
So I kneel and ask for blessings while I’m working in my shed
My Rasp-cut files and chisels, my riffler and my vise
Get ready to work wonders for the one who paid the price

I chip away the wood while I try to carve a shape
One I hope would dignify a Christmassy landscape
The texture of the woodgrain begins to speak to me
Revealing visual patterns – and I’m in reverie

I travel back in time to a place that’s far away
An obscure town called Nazareth – a house of stone and clay
I surrender to a trance-like state where all is calm and still
Where a father shows His young son how to use the saw and drill

He learnt to make a dovetail joint by cutting tails and pins
The strongest interlocking joint with craftsmanship that wins
Several years of toil and sweat by His father’s side
Making ploughs as well as yokes – the Son of Man complied

Forging treasured memories - He learns His father’s trade
He knows what will await Him – But He is unafraid
The earthy rich aroma of the woodwork brings me back
To the shepherd staff I’m chiselling – to walk a rugged track

My mind goes to a shepherd – my anchor and my rock
Every time we go astray – He shepherds all His flock
The Bread of life sustains us with Resurrected Hope
We – the branches – know the Vine will give us strength to cope

I think about the wooden boat sailing late at night
A violent storm was raging – the cause of fear and fright
“Help us Lord -we’re drowning “said the men from Galilee
They looked in awe as Jesus stopped the storm and calmed the sea

My mind goes to the Olive Tree – in Gethsemane
Its gnarled trunk – 2000 years – has seen His agony
Speaking words of wisdom – on the role that wood has played
From a manger within Bethlehem until He was betrayed

Wood has played a powerful role – one of life and loss
From the hand-crafted crude cradle to the rugged Roman cross
Bruised for our iniquities – He died to set us free
Scourged, mocked and nailed – He died on Calvary

The redemptive role of trees – be it Cedar, Fig or Palm
Reminds us that the end is always filled with peace and calm
With God’s grace and forgiveness – we know that we can cope
Through His death and resurrection He gave us faith and hope

 

Anita Britto Archives:

 

 

 

 
By Anita Britto, Auckland
To submit your article / poem / short story to Daijiworld, please email it to news@daijiworld.com mentioning 'Article/poem submission for daijiworld' in the subject line. Please note the following:

  • The article / poem / short story should be original and previously unpublished in other websites except in the personal blog of the author. We will cross-check the originality of the article, and if found to be copied from another source in whole or in parts without appropriate acknowledgment, the submission will be rejected.
  • The author of the poem / article / short story should include a brief self-introduction limited to 500 characters and his/her recent picture (optional). Pictures relevant to the article may also be sent (optional), provided they are not bound by copyright. Travelogues should be sent along with relevant pictures not sourced from the Internet. Travelogues without relevant pictures will be rejected.
  • In case of a short story / article, the write-up should be at least one-and-a-half pages in word document in Times New Roman font 12 (or, about 700-800 words). Contributors are requested to keep their write-ups limited to a maximum of four pages. Longer write-ups may be sent in parts to publish in installments. Each installment should be sent within a week of the previous installment. A single poem sent for publication should be at least 3/4th of a page in length. Multiple short poems may be submitted for single publication.
  • All submissions should be in Microsoft Word format or text file. Pictures should not be larger than 1000 pixels in width, and of good resolution. Pictures should be attached separately in the mail and may be numbered if the author wants them to be placed in order.
  • Submission of the article / poem / short story does not automatically entail that it would be published. Daijiworld editors will examine each submission and decide on its acceptance/rejection purely based on merit.
  • Daijiworld reserves the right to edit the submission if necessary for grammar and spelling, without compromising on the author's tone and message.
  • Daijiworld reserves the right to reject submissions without prior notice. Mails/calls on the status of the submission will not be entertained. Contributors are requested to be patient.
  • The article / poem / short story should not be targeted directly or indirectly at any individual/group/community. Daijiworld will not assume responsibility for factual errors in the submission.
  • Once accepted, the article / poem / short story will be published as and when we have space. Publication may take up to four weeks from the date of submission of the write-up, depending on the number of submissions we receive. No author will be published twice in succession or twice within a fortnight.
  • Time-bound articles (example, on Mother's Day) should be sent at least a week in advance. Please specify the occasion as well as the date on which you would like it published while sending the write-up.

Leave a Comment

Title: From the Manger to the Cross



You have 2000 characters left.

Disclaimer:

Please write your correct name and email address. Kindly do not post any personal, abusive, defamatory, infringing, obscene, indecent, discriminatory or unlawful or similar comments. Daijiworld.com will not be responsible for any defamatory message posted under this article.

Please note that sending false messages to insult, defame, intimidate, mislead or deceive people or to intentionally cause public disorder is punishable under law. It is obligatory on Daijiworld to provide the IP address and other details of senders of such comments, to the authority concerned upon request.

Hence, sending offensive comments using daijiworld will be purely at your own risk, and in no way will Daijiworld.com be held responsible.