Poem for Christmas (2)

God’s plan

 

As weapons are wrought,

And cities fall.

As stomachs rumble,

And muscles waste.

As cold bites at fingers and toes

And the pavement hardens.

As the darkness brings no relief,

only crushing fear.

 

Where is the hope found?

Where is hope found?

 

God’s plan was never strength and might.

God did not plan destruction and distress.

He did not come as conqueror,

Or King.

 

He came as a baby:

A seed of hope

Planted in a dark night

That shivered with fear.

 

Was this foolishness?

No, this was Godliness

 

A baby!

 

Can you see the delight on the faces?

Can you hear the gentle breathing?

Can you find the Christ-child?

Born into your soul;

Renewing your hope;

Bringing love into the world,

Again.

 

 Photo by Travis on Unsplash

 Musing #5: Baby

What is it about a baby?

What’s so magical?

The mystery of something that has grown in a hidden place.  It’s been felt, but not fully seen: only the grainy black and white ultra-sound image, or the eruption of a limb, pushing against its mother’s flesh...

And then the baby comes, and the world around it shifts; changes; makes room for this new life.  The baby comes and suddenly you have a new name: mummy, daddy, granny, grandad, aunty, great uncle, great grandma…

There’s never any shortage of love.  Love multiplies, grows: enfolds the baby.  The family reconstructs itself around this new life, and the wider community respond.  People, who were strangers until now, want to help, to support, to share in this wonderful miracle.  Because every birth is a miracle; the beginning of a new life; a new expression of God.

The baby is mesmerising: those tiny feet and hands; the peacefulness of sleep; the heart-rending cry.  A being so small. So vulnerable. So dependent – it catches the hearts of all around.

When the parents look back they can’t imagine what life was like before – how did they fill their time? What did they do?

What’s so magical about a baby?  They remind us of where we come from; of what we have lost; of the on-going circle of life.

When a baby arrives, love is born.

   

                 So, what is it about this baby: the Christ -child, Love incarnate?

What’s so magical?

The mystery of Love can be hidden – seen only in a mirror dimly.  The muffled movements not fully understood.

But, when Love is born, the world around shifts; changes; makes room.  And you are given a new name: beloved, daughter, son, child of Love.

And there’s no shortage of love.  Love multiplies: grows: enfolds itself.  Love draws us together as family and opens us up to the stranger, the outcast, the persecuted.  They embrace, and are embraced by, Love.  

Love is a miracle: the beginning of new life: a new expression of God.

What’s so magical about this baby, born into poverty?  

So vulnerable; so small; so dependent.

He reminds us of where we come from, of what we have lost, of the on-going circle of life.

God came as a baby because that’s where Love is born.

 

 

Musing #4:  Light

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. (Isaiah 9:2)

I have always found these words from Isaiah a comfort and encouragement at Christmas-time.  With all that is going on in the world it very much feels that we are ‘walking in darkness’ and in a ‘land of deep darkness’.  As we move through this week leading up to Christmas, and on into the winter months of the New Year, can we consciously hold on to God’s promise of light?  Can we be alert and looking for the light that is dawning?

And can we consider the other meanings of ‘light’?  Light is the opposite of darkness, but it is also the opposite of ‘heavy’.  Jesus says in Matthew 11: “For my yoke is easy and my burden is light”. God does not want us to be weighed down – by our anxieties and concerns, by the worries of the world, by our possessions, our obligations, by life.  He offers a yoke that is light. When we wear his yoke he enables us to let go of those heavy things.  This reminds me that we are called to a simple life – maybe this is something we can embrace as we move into 2024.

Light is also the opposite of tight.  There are some things that we tend to hold onto too tightly.  It might be our self-image, it might be certain possessions, it might be a way of doing something or a certain belief.  It might even be a loved one.  A familiar song says: if you love someone, set them free.  If love is causing us to hold onto something or someone too tightly, we need to loosen our grip: be willing to change; be willing to share; and sometimes be willing to let go.

Finally, light is the opposite of serious.  We are prone to taking ourselves too seriously.  I honestly think that part of God bringing us light is enabling us to laugh.  And an important part of this is being able to laugh or smile at ourselves.  We all make mistakes, we all mess up – I’m not saying try to do this, but God still loves us exactly how we are, and when we realise this we can lighten up a bit and smile and see the bright side.  Managing to do that will bring light to those we live with and meet during this festive season and in the year ahead.

God brings light in the darkness – let’s live out that light as we move through Christmas and into the New Year.

Poem

For Christmas

Does Christ drop into you,

like water?

Sink into the deepest places,

seep into the narrowest ways;

right down into your feet

to ground you?

 

As Love descends,

does She hollow out your soul?

Stretch it at the edges.

Expanding your capacity for herself;

opening up the space inside you?

 

In the stillness,

Can you reach down?

Can you feel the warmth

on the tips of your fingers

as you touch the mystery

within?

Is it too deep?

Out of reach,

Just beyond your grasp.

 

Don’t give in to fear, dear one.

Be still.

Wait: the Christ is born again.

Love is rising.