Advent 4

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire
The crackling warmth of hearth and home
Interrupted by a dazzling sight
An angel shining, burning bright
Blazing, gleaming
Radiance beaming
The noumenal appearing
Mary reeling
Her broom cast aside, a forgotten tool of an irrelevant task.

“Do not be afraid” he began
His wings wedged ‘twixt wall and wall
Floor and ceiling frame his bowing form
Heaven’s majestic messenger cowering before a terrified teen
“Do not be afraid” he repeats
His smooth sonorous sibilance serving to reassure his own wavering words
The fragile, folded female fleetingly glances up
Then falteringly finds her feet
From the dust, she is raised up.

“You have found favour with the divine creator”
Heaven holds its breath
Eternity awaits the herald’s words.
“The word will be woven, knitted to flesh in your womb!
Eternity will enter earth, heaven’s heartbeat housed in human form!
The sublime divine son will call you mum.
Yeshua will be his name,
He’ll raise the dead and heal the lame.
A descendant of King David’s line,
He’ll stop the rot of man’s decline.”

“I’m pregnant” Mary mutters,
“But how… I haven’t…”

“God’s Holy Spirit will be sent
You’ll conceive a son by his movement
A child born, a new age begun
For he will be God’s own son!”

“Ok” She said, “God’s will be done.”

In this simple way,
This humble first step home,
Taken for all by a teenage girl;
Society’s side-lined slave.
An acceptance freely given,
of forgiveness freely offered.
Permission to participate in the divine plan
To rescue the future of sinful man
Grace was given by this simple phrase
To kids from one to ninety-two
Although it’s been told many times, many ways,
This gave Christmas to you.