Poetry from the pen of Pat Marsh

Sunday 9 December 2012

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

.