Dear God of Mary and Joseph
of Elizabeth and Zachariah
and Jesus born in a manger
we’ve entered the season
of hope & peace & joy & love
when you seem bent on showing us
your willingness to do the impossible
when we read again
the lion lying down with the lamb
led by a child
when we sing with Mary
the lowly lifted up
the hungry filled with good things
the rich sent empty away
and we feel these things resonate
with the deepest part of our being
as being true, true
so absolutely incontrovertibly true
although we have yet to see them take place
Our belief in you
our willingness to continue along this path
keeps us on the very edge
of the joy
that is in the vision of the prophets
and the gospel writers
even as present realities
might seem to say we are fools
There are so many people who hurt, O Lord
There are so many who grieve
There is war. Corruption. Greed. Calamity
The rich are lying down with the wolf
The lowly are being sent empty away
and the little child is hungry
We have no words
for all the ways
things are wrong in the world
What we have
are people quietly helping
doing the impossible
in your name
and places in the world, where
without fanfare
the impossible has taken place
and is
What we have is a faith
that does not prevent us from walking into walls
or keep us from troubles
faith that is not certainty
but trust
trust
that has well-springs in Scripture
and is born of our experience
of your love and benevolence
toward us
trust that keeps us
putting one foot in front of the other
as we continue this slow trek to Bethlehem
to enter again the peace and profoundness
and impossibility
of your stable birth
with nothing but the clothes on our backs
and our hearts split wide open
About the Author
John Terpstra is a poet and carpenter who lives in Hamilton, Ontario. His latest (non-fiction) book is called The House with the Parapet Wall.
