Headlong to Christmas

the rush

has begun

and we know

it can only get worse
as we race
headlong
towards
what passes
for the celebrations of your birth

holy child

give us
islands of stillness
in the frenzy of preparation

give us snatches

of peace
amid the tensions
of others’ expectations

and in the excesses

of the shopping mall
remind us
of the simple poverty
of the stable

holy child

as we rush towards Christmas
give us your stillness
your peace
your simplicity

give us especially

the gift of yourself

 

Almost Unnoticed

an angel
interrupts
an ordinary day
the Holy Spirit
comes upon a simple girl
a pregnancy begins

almost unnoticed

everything changes

in a hidden corner

of a city that had no room
a birthing struggle
ends
a Saviour
lies in the straw
a new world order
dawns
 
almost unnoticed
everything changes

heaven’s announcement

is placed in the hands
of those
whom society rejects
the first shall be last
and the last
shall be first

almost unnoticed

the Living Word, Prince of Peace
Promised Saviour, Mighty God
slips into the world
with flesh and blood skin on

and everything

everything
changes

 

And a Child Will Be Born

And a child will be born
to Mary;
fragile,
vulnerable, weak
in his humanness;
wonderful, strong,
life-changing
in his divinity;
unlike any other
in his power
to shape creation.

A child will be born to Mary:

he will be
Emmanuel,
God
with us.

.

Perfect Place

coincidentally
it was just the right size
and it was the cleanest place
in the stable

the hay was fresh

warm
sweet smelling

it was perfect

for the little chap
though not what Joseph had thought
his carpenter’s hands
might fashion for the boy
but under the circumstances
it would have to do

he took the child

from the breast
and laid him in the feeding trough

and the new little life

who had turned the man’s world
upside down
rested
sleeping the sleep
of newborns everywhere

together

the new mum and dad
watched him
marvelled at him
felt their love
rise up for him
and wondered
what the future
held for him

God had come good

God had provided
just as the angel
said he would

somehow they too

ordinary though they were
somehow they too
were now part of
God’s unfolding purposes and plans
just like Abraham and Isaac
like David and all the prophets
their story
was now part of God’s story
would be told
and re-told
generation after generation
just like the scriptures they had learned
at their mother’s knee

once again

as with the manna in the desert years
God had provided

and as the new

and nervous parents
talked of
the wonder of these things
they sensed
for a brief moment
the faintest whisper of a smile
on the face of the baby

the one who was to call himself

in later years
the Bread of Life
rested
in a feeding trough

it was

the perfect place

.

Encounter

hail

o favoured one
the Lord is with you

little more than a whisper

the voice was clear
and steady

do not be afraid

easy for him to say that

this radiant dazzling figure
who’d mysteriously appeared
out of nowhere

she began to tremble

felt her own
sharp intake of breath
before this strange figure
who’d rudely interrupted
her daydreaming

he had the shape and form

of a man
yet was
so very different
nebulous
shining
his features softened
by a shimmering glow
and he carried a presence
that emanated
an extraordinary peace

every nerve in her body

felt on edge
adrenalin
coursed through her
like a mighty waterfall
she felt in the presence
of something
terrifyingly beautiful
spell bindingly powerful
hugely frightening

and he said

simply
do not be afraid

absolutely nothing

could have prepared her
for what came next

you are to bear a son

one who will reign
over Israel
forever

he will be the Son

of the Most High

you are to call him

Jesus

her mind raced into overdrive

a heady cocktail of confusion, questions
arguments
random tumbling thoughts                                           

and then

after a split second
that felt longer than a lifetime

relief

it was all a mistake

this terrifying encounter
had to be a mistake
he had the wrong girl
it couldn’t possibly
be her
she’d never slept with a man

but he ignored her protests

carried on

the power of the Most High

will overshadow you
and make you pregnant

your baby will be holy

the Son of God

the power of the Most High?

a holy baby?

a million emotions

battled for attention within Mary
she wanted to run like the wind
from this conversation
pretend it never happened
get back to being ordinary

and then an echo of ancient scripture

voiced itself in her head

the virgin

will conceive a child                                                                            

and suddenly

this crazy scenario
all seemed impossibly possible

could it be true

that she was the chosen one

and though she didn’t begin to understand it

knew she could never deserve it
had no concept of the consequences
she wanted to laugh, cry, dance
all at once
wanted to tell everyone
about the angel

and she knew

there was only one response
she could make

she heard herself speaking

I am the servant of Adonai

let it be to me
as you have said

.

 

Flashes of Beauty

flashes of beauty

touch my soul

in the stillness

glimpses of holiness

pour

unbidden

into

the silent void

permeate my emptiness

with your fullness

touch my senses

with the presence of God

awaken me

to your reality

we are

as one

in the stillness

I in your rhythms

and you

in mine

.

Awesome God

awesome

unfathomable God

majesty, mystery, complexity

truth, Word

simplicity

architect

of all creation

ever-present

intimate friend

awesome God

nurture my soul

in the stillness

touch me tangibly

in the silence

reveal a little more

of the mystery of yourself

reveal your will

for me

.