In Praise of the Word’s Birth
Credit: Patti Black on Unsplash
Note: The following is a reflection my church asked me to write. It’s a little different from this blog’s typical structure, but the contemplative, Jesus-centered heart remains the same.
Scripture
Read Luke 2:1-7. Encourage everyone to settle in, relax, and (except the reader) close their eyes during the Scripture reading.
Contemplation
Hush, be still.
Release the hurry in your shoulders, your belly, your jaw.
Sip oxygen, slow and steady, through your nostrils.
Feel the rhythm of your heart.
Close your eyes, so you can see better.
Are you with me now, here and now?
Inhale the musk of ox, goat, lamb. The dung drying in the dust, the tang of sweat and blood. The ashes of a dead fire. The sweet of crushed straw.
Feel the bare earth beneath your feet, the cool stone wall at your back, the bristle of wool against your skin.
Listen. Out of the deep night silence, a lamb bleats, a goat shifts, an ox sighs. And then, the voice. Interwoven with the sounds of beasts, a baby whimpers. A woman hushes in gentle, weary tones, and a man whispers something too low and tender for your ears to catch.
Perhaps now you can see them, the three huddled in the dark. Starlight illumines the man’s brow, shadowed lines tracing stories of grief, labor, and, if you look closely, wonder. And there is the curve of the young woman’s arm, slender and strong under her thin cloak. You may need to edge closer to see the newborn she’s holding, hushing. The baby is so small you can barely see him cradled against his mother’s breast. Soon the infant quiets, and she lays him in a stone feeding trough lined in old blankets.
Narrow strips of linen bind his tiny bones so tightly he can scarcely move. Here, in the place where food is offered, feasts received, this baby lies sleeping.
Would you believe this fragile body holds all the God-ness of God? Would you believe this baby who can only cry and suckle spoke stars and cedars, oceans and galaxies into being? Would you believe this still baby embodies–in muscle and skin–infinte, inexpressible, incomprehensible Love?
Kneel with me, here in the moonlit dark. Press your forehead to the dust. O come, beloved, O come, and let us adore the Star-Maker, this sleeping child: Jesus.
Reflection questions:
What was it like to close your eyes while the Scripture and contemplation were read?
Imagine you were present at the birth of Christ two thousand years ago. What would you have seen, heard, smelled, felt, even tasted? Be as specific as you can in using your God-given imagination.
God could have chosen to redeem us by arriving on earth fully formed as a strong adult–but He intentionally came in the form of a helpless, needy baby. What does this tell you about God? What does this tell you about the people close to His heart? What does this tell you about our calling as followers of Jesus?
A Practice to Consider:
Have you ever tried imaginative prayer? Imaginative prayer is visualizing a scene from the Bible in every dimension of sensory detail–and then placing yourself there. By attending to what you notice and feel, you can engage more deeply in the Scripture’s story. For hundreds of years, believers have been communing with God through their sacred imaginations. What does God show you when you close your eyes and imagine other scenes surrounding Christ’s birth (i.e. Gabriel’s announcement to Mary, the angels’ appearance to the shepherds, the wise men offering their gifts, etc.)?
Note: As many readers know, I take an annual sabbatical from writing to let the fields lie fallow, that is to say, to take some time to rest and restore my depleted creative energies. I look forward to sharing more on this blog in March of 2026!
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The “In Praise of Houseflies” blog series is inspired by my new book In Praise of Houseflies: Meditations on the Gifts in Everyday Quandaries (Calla Press) now available for purchase. Click here to join my e-letter for more quiet reflections, book updates, and a few of my favorite things!
