Christmas poems from years past

Silent Night (2002)

Which silence will we choose?

Will it be the silence of awe,

the quiet so intense that the voice of God,

the barely audible yet penetrating sound of grace,

is all that can be heard?

Will it be the silence that comes

when nothing else matters,

when life is entirely focused,

when the senseless finally becomes plain?

Or will it be the silence of fear,

the drugged silence of submission to what is,

the dreadful silence when que sera, sera

is all we know how to say

and everything matters except what matters most?

Will it be the silence which follows miracle,

or the silence which signals resignation?

Will it be the silence which follows the angels' song,

when uncontrolled joy is not far behind,

or the silence which follows Herod's scheming;

the silence of being mesmerized by evil's icy grin?

Choose, O people of God.

Choose the silence of awe.

Your Faith Has Made You Well (2004)

Her son was heard to say,

“Your faith has made you well”

when people sought him out

because they felt the hell

of torment and despair.

From whom did that truth come

if not from Mary’s voice,

when she rehearsed the tale

of why she was the choice

to bear the promised One?

The courage in her “Yes”

was bold by any gauge.

She lived in poverty

a pawn of Roman rage,

yet faith had made her strong.

What is our Christmas work

if not to pause, and give

our richest thanks to God

for faith like hers, and ask

for courage for our day?

If Christmas Is All Red and Green (2005)

If Christmas is all red and green,

with satin bows

and evergreen;

with everything exactly right,

the perfect meal

and candlelight;

then Christmas is a thing we birth,

a month of stress

disguised as mirth,

a time when all we know for sure:

we have to get

the gift du jour.

But if there is another way

Lord, make it plain;

show us today.

Reveal your love all wrapped in flesh,

the holy child,

divine largesse.

Announce once more with angels’ voice

that peace on earth

is still your choice.

Until the Music of Her Breath Returns (2006)

Last night she slept,

her steady breath was music to her mother’s ears.

Tonight she cannot rest.

Her world, as splintered as her bed,

has come apart.

The hate that rained down on her home

has flooded every street.

But God, who weeps when hopes collapse,

is piloting the saving boat,

and God will hold the restless child

until the music of her breath returns,

and peace, shalom, salaam,

resides in every home.