Epiphany

Into

Darkened corners

Light moves on wings of grace

To awaken the sleeping, dead.

Arise!

cinquain

2,4,6,8,2

Reflections on the Heavenly Host

And suddenly

There was with the messenger

Suddenly -

Such a simple

Yet complicated word -

A word that

In the abruptness of its utterance

Barges in

Interrupts

Disrupts

Intrudes

Comes between

What was

And what is

Suddenly -

Things are different now

Than they were before

Suddenly -

What was

Is no longer

Suddenly -

What will be

Is changed from what might have been

Suddenly -

Divides the past

From the present

And alters the future

Suddenly -

The fields of the shepherds

Are no longer the same.

Suddenly -

The celestial bodies

Of the night sky

Are no longer

Mere pinpricks on the vault of heaven

Suddenly -

Holy wonder

Penetrates the liminal gap

Between earth and heaven,

Between mortal and eternal,

Between now and forever

Suddenly -

The night sounds

Are rendered mute

Beneath the thundering drone

Of the divine

Descending

Army of God.

Suddenly

Abruptly

Swiftly

Unanticipatedly

Without warning

Suddenly -

There was with the messenger

A great regiment

Of the army of the sky

Legions of heavenly warriors

Appearing from realms unknown,

Hovering in visibility

Above the realm of the earth -

Suddenly -

What was

Is no longer,

What will be

Is not what might have been.

Suddenly -

The armies of heaven

Came to the earth

Filling the firmament

And covering this benighted sphere

With glory not before known

And sounds unexpected -

A message

Not of vengeance

But of mercy,

Not of war

But of peace.

Suddenly -

There was good news

Of great joy

Suddenly -

A Savior

The Messiah

The Lord

Had been born.

And the heavens

Rejoiced

In telling the earth

That it was indeed so.

What was

Is no longer

What will be

Is changed from what might have been.

Suddenly -

The breath of heaven

Poured forth peace

Suddenly -

The descant of eternity

Sang

Glory to God

And yet

And yet

And yet

The empire still rules

The poor are still poor

The prisoners are still captive

The blind still cannot see

The oppressed are still not free

The refugee still flees

The suffering still suffer

The lonely still despair

The mighty still sit on their thrones

The lowly are still low

The hungry are still empty

The rich are still full

The dying still die.

And yet -

Suddenly -

What was

Is no longer

What will be

Is changed from what might have been.

And yet -

Suddenly -

In the middle of the night

The heavens sang

And so do we.

We sing

To push back against the night

We sing

To join our voices

With the army of the sky

We sing

To proclaim

Again and anew

Now

In this time and place

Glory -

Glory to God in the highest

And peace

To God’s people on earth.

Suddenly -

What was

Is no longer

What will be

Is changed from what might have been.

We sing

Of the Word made flesh

And in our singing

The flesh becomes word

And the liminal gap

Between earth and heaven

Between mortal and eternal

Between now and forever

Thins to transparency

Once again

And we are in Bethlehem

And Bethlehem is here

The child born then

Is born again now

And we go and see

And live to make known

That

What was

Is no longer

What will be

Is changed from what might have been.

For to you is born this day,

In the city of David,

A Savior who is Christ the Lord.

AMEN.