Suckling sounds from a newborn lamb,
Crickets singing an old night-time song,
Peaceful hillside on the edge of town,
Drowsy shepherds by a dying fire.

Angel voices fill the grace-filled night,
Singing praises to the God of all,
Announce Messiah to a sinful world.
Sounds that reach to all mankind and time.

Weary travelers share a stable space,
Beasts and people settle for the night,
Shifting hooves and low-pitched baa-ing song,
Distant rumble as a cart goes by.

Muffled cries as Mary borns her babe,
Through her pains she hears the angel's words:
"Do not fear for you will bear a child.
He'll be called the Son of God Most High."

World indifferent to the joy of God,
Noisy cymbals and the bombs of war,
Satan's tempting and the pull of sin,
People filled with greed, contempt, and hate.

Hear the saving song of Bethlehem,
Heed the sweetest sound in all of time,
Calm your fears and rest your weary soul,
Listen to the Newborn's saving cry.

Author: Kay Bradburn