Mysterious paradoxes collide in this story

A story of a baby,

Born into nothing,

Yet born into everything.

Born in a shed,

But born in love,

And is love

And brings love.

 

The paradox of a young woman,

Not yet wedded,

Blessed to bring life,

Into this world that needs life

Needs hope

Requires love.

She trusted that it was she

Who God entrusted this life

This bundle,

This hope.

How afraid would she have been?

How excited would she have been?

How honoured would she have been?

And so in fact,

She brings love.

In the form of a baby,

Who cries

And nurses,

And brings hope.

 

And the young man,

That carpenter,

Who trusted the voice that said

Love her

Support her

Guide her.

And contrary to anything

And everything

That society said,

He did love her

Support her

Guide her.

 

 

The paradox of working men,

Shepherds,

Out in a field,

All alone,

Yet not alone.

Glorious glowing friends,

Speaking of good news –

Lord knows we need good news.

Good news of hope

And peace

And love

And joy.

They needed to see this

Good news of hope

And peace

And love

And joy.

They trusted these strangers in the night,

And travelled,

Travelled to see the infant,

Born into nothing,

And yet everything.

This baby born into a world that was theirs.

A world that they knew,

They understood.

Not of wondrous gold

And glittery diamonds,

But a world of smelly animals,

And feed troughs.

A world that was their own.

 

 

This beautiful paradoxical mystery,

Where two thousand years ago

This baby was born.

This baby who brings light

And life

And hope

And peace,

And yet – today,

This baby is born again.

We have to trust like Mary

Trust that today it is us

Who is blessed to bring

Hope,

Love.

And trust that as Jesus is born today,

God entrusts this life

This bundle,

This hope

To us.

 

Have faith like the carpenter Joseph,

That we are guided to

Love all,

Support all,

Guide all,

And contrary to anything

And everything,

That society says,

We must love all,

Support all,

Guide all.

 

When the song of the angels is stilled
when the star in the sky is gone
when the kings and princes are home
when the shepherds are back with their flocks
the work of Christmas begins:
to find the lost
to heal the broken
to feed the hungry
to release the prisoner
to rebuild the nations
to bring peace among the people
to make music in the heart.