A Christmas Poem: Jesus, Two Thousand Years Later

front-streetlightsI offer this lovely Christmas poem to you, from a young writer/artist friend of mine, Emily Davidson.

Enjoy the context, as well as the art itself. Thank you, Emily.

Jesus, Two Thousand Years Later
Emily Davidson

The scene: a two-car garage

at the line where suburbia meets city sprawl;

row houses beside a strip mall, a spa

and a seedy bar the PTA is in talks

to shut down.

The mother: a teen – young – wearing

Chucks, a hoodie, pajama pants, her belly

swelling obviously.

The boyfriend: eyes too-wide open,

sweaty palms.

The landlords are inside hosting

a house party. The runaways can sleep

in the garage, as long as they don’t touch

anything. Golf clubs especially.

The audience: a John Deere lawnmower,

two red gas canisters, a coil of green

hose, a 1995 Toyota Corolla.

An inflatable camp mattress, towels

from the big house.

Time.

The sound of pain

brings people: two junkies, a prostitute,

four skateboarders, a panhandler. A transvestite

named Suzie wipes the mother’s forehead

with an imitation Hermes scarf

and massages her palms.

Three academics show up, mistrusting

their GPS systems, lay down their gifts –

stocks, texts, an honorary degree.

A stray cat enters under the door.

The baby spills onto the concrete

and they wash him in water from an exterior tap,

wrap him in red plaid dishtowels.

The shock of life.

Outside, carolers from nowhere

burst into music so beautiful

the room breathes.

AVAILABLE NOW

Sheltering Mercy and Endless Grace help us rediscover the rich treasures of the Psalms—through free-verse prayer renderings of their poems and hymns—as a guide to personal devotion and meditation. Sheltering Mercy helps the reader pray Psalms 1-75; Endless Grace leads in prayer through Psalms 76-150.

The church has always used the Psalms as part of its prayer life, and they have inspired countless other prayers. Each book contains 75 prayers drawn from the Book of Psalms, providing lyrical sketches of what authors Ryan Smith and Dan Wilt have seen, heard, and felt while sojourning there. Each prayer is a response to the Psalms written in harmony with Scripture. These prayers help us quiet our hearts before God and welcome us into a safe place amid the storms of life.

These artful, poetic, and classic devotional books are a perfect gift, and feature compelling stunning illustrations and hardcover binding, offering a fresh way to reflect on and pray the Psalms. Co-written with Ryan Whitaker Smith, Brazos Publishing.

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