Christmas Eve 2008 at Northland Church in Longwood, Florida.

Poem by Clare Sera

It’s time.
Hushed, the frost of heaven.
Twinkling, the eyes of God
Roam. Search.
It’s time

Love
Love
Drops like snowflakes
Tenderly
…to touch our faces…
Restless to arrive
In fullness.

Gabriel, Go!

My beloved is ready
My perfect dove.
It’s time.

Without hesitation
Gabriel flies to earth
Furrowed holy brow--
For whom does he seek?
How will he know
This favored one?

A rush of wind as
In pursuit he flies
East
A sea of faces
West
A throng of bodies
Which one? Who? Where?

Until

One looks up
And
Gabriel is found

He falters at her gaze
Surely not this child

How can she, so frail, so human,
love enough to say--

Yes.

Yes to God.
Yes to Joy!
Yes!

Yes
to submission
Sacrifice
Pain
A path of tears
A sword that pierces
Choices
that rend the human heart

No
to the world
Yes
to God

Gabriel,
struck by one so weak
choosing grace to be strong
Departed

And all around her “yes”

Mankind moves on, oblivious
To the option
Of Grace
Of Yes
Choosing Comfort
Without Joy
Spending time buying time
Pressure hardened against
Time

All the while…
His eye still roams
The angel still calls
A holy wind rushes above us
Do we hear it,
Can we feel it
Does your heart not pound
Does it not burst
With the call...

Hail favored ones

Look up
Look up
It’s time
It’s time

But how does a mere mortal say yes to God?
How can one so weak be strong?
How?
How?

GOD. WITH. US.