Christmas 2024

The star draws us up

by our eyes—

to little hands

reaching

to adorn

the top of the tree.

O holy night

Hands

reaching beneath the rubble

of Saint Porphyrius.

as Mary and Joseph once wandered

through darkness,

seeking shelter—

Hands

reaching

search the mud

in Swannanoa—

still, still, still

pray

holy night

pray

for the guiding star

Herod

arms his men.

So the stars wait

with the children

in the dark.

we are waiting for you

for room at the inn

we are waiting for you

to remember

"In every birth, blessed is the wonder.

In every creation, blessed is the new beginning.

In every child, blessed is the life"

In this child,

blessed is the life

my little town

in the mud

oh little town of Bethlehem

how still we see thee lie

tonight no Christmas lights

adorn thy streets

and homes

“Yet in thy dark streets shineth

The everlasting light

The hopes and fears of all the years

Are met in thee tonight”

So the stars wait

with the children—

little hands

reaching.

(With lines from “O Little Town of Bethlehem”* and a Jewish baby naming ceremony)