“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”—John 1:14, KJV

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Christmas is a time of tears,

A joyful melancholy,

A dazzling of midnight dawn,

A glint of darkest glory.

The ribbons are of crimson hue,

And the tinsel, silver-strung,

Surrounds the stumbling Christ

With poinsettias in His path.

Each Station, bleeding beauty,

Drives stakes through time and space,

Dripping gore and spittle,

Kissed by a winter’s star.

And here, we stand, the faithful,

With the Lady of the Night,

Who births the blazing Son

And finds her heart aflame.

The world is but a hazelnut,

Held in the hand divine,

Yet beasts will warm eternity

Fresh-swaddled in the straw.

Wooden frames will cradle Him;

Mother’s arms will comfort Him,

Now, and then—

Oh, no, must we think of then?

It is too much, too much!

Lady, Lady, marvel deep

On what has come through thee!

Lady, Lady, we will weep

For what must pierce through thee!

But we cannot turn back…

The seed is planted in the ground

To perish and be raised,

And though your soul is stricken,

The wound will glow with grace.

It will pour upon us all,

This second birthing blood,

For hearts entwined must suffer

Unto the edge of doom.

Now, look upon the Shepherds

Who kneel beside the Kings,

While Angels sing of this full trough

And that empty tomb.

Hear the bells break the silence,

Shattering it to the bone;

Hear the old world dying,

Withering like the fig tree.

Holy violence storms the soul,

And lacerates the temple veil.

The heavens are unhinged,

Flooding earth with melodies

Of Adam’s waking innocence

And the finger of the dawn.

It bursts, it bounds, a ball of light

That guides the royal wanderers,

And sheep with their lambs.

This is the Nativity of all that is:

The Triune Council

And Bethlehem’s Babe,

And They are One,

And we are oned with Them.

Go out to the corners and cry:

Eden grows in a Virgin’s womb!

Eden lies in a feeding trough!

Eden is a seed that dies!

Eden is the bread that rises!

Let the infinite invade the finite;

Let the Unseen reveal His Face;

Let the Master suffer and serve!

For He is speech to the mute,

And sight to the blind;

He is a Word to the deaf,

And the limbs of the lame.

May the chasm be bridged,

And the distance be tread!

Come, Sin, show us your worst!

Come, Death, deal us your sting!

Come, Satan, wield your deceit!

For the Lamb of God is come,

Sustained by milk and manger,

Slain for our salvation,

Risen for our restoration,

And we scorn the powers of Hell!