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Recommended Reading:
Poem: To Joseph
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“This child is destined…to be a sign.” (Luke 2:34)
You did not frequent marbled shrines
Or marvel at the brush-stroked lines
And contours of museumed artistry.
No guided tour, no catalogue,
No philosophic dialogue
In Nazareth – no civic gallery.
Yet you beheld a work of art,
The making of a holy heart.
At first its meaning was so hard to see.
The artist said he was divine,
That earth would bow before his sign.
But is art pure that robs virginity?
Joseph, you taught me how to view,
To look by faith and sight eschew,
And give the artist time to be believed.
When flesh-framed masterpiece was done,
It flamed the image of a son.
When hung, at last its meaning was perceived.1
(1986)
1 Stuart McAlpine, The Advent Overture: Meditations and Poems for the Christmas Season (Bloomington, IN: WestBow Press, 2017), pg. 86.
![](https://www.cslewisinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/StuartMcAlpine_headshot_350.png)
Stuart McAlpine
Pastor, Teaching Fellow, CSLI Stuart McAlpine, is a teaching fellow at the C.S. Lewis Institute and the founding pastor of Christ our Shepherd Church located on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. He speaks at churches and conferences around the world and lectures for the C.S. Lewis Institute Fellows Program. He has a great knowledge of and love for the works of C.S. Lewis. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature and a Master’s degree in Theology from Cambridge University in Great Britain.![](/wp-content/uploads/BUTTON-Explore-Resources-v2-151-x-615-300x74.png)
Recommended Reading:
The Advent of Overture – Meditations and Poems for the Christmas Season, WestBow Press (November 2017)![](https://www.cslewisinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/KD-2019-Winter-Poem-To-Joseph-–-Stuart-McAlpine-15-7542.png)
A great Christmas gift idea for those looking for Advent material. An ideal gift for pastors. For more information please visit https://www.mcalpinepartners.com/all-resources. All proceeds are used to provide free resources for international pastors.
COPYRIGHT: This publication is published by C.S. Lewis Institute; 8001 Braddock Road, Suite 301; Springfield, VA 22151. Portions of the publication may be reproduced for noncommercial, local church or ministry use without prior permission. Electronic copies of the PDF files may be duplicated and transmitted via e-mail for personal and church use. Articles may not be modified without prior written permission of the Institute. For questions, contact the Institute: 703.914.5602 or email us.
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Stuart McAlpine
Pastor, Teaching Fellow, CSLIStuart McAlpine, is a teaching fellow at the C.S. Lewis Institute and the founding pastor of Christ our Shepherd Church located on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. He speaks at churches and conferences around the world and lectures for the C.S. Lewis Institute Fellows Program. He has a great knowledge of and love for the works of C.S. Lewis. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature and a Master’s degree in Theology from Cambridge University in Great Britain.![](/wp-content/uploads/BUTTON-Explore-Resources-v2-151-x-615-300x74.png)