By Come ye, come ye
come to Bethlehem
or Birmingham
or Berlin or Belize or Brazil
come to the grand cathedral
the seminary
the wayside chapel
the little church on the prairie
come see the labor of Mary
and the grace of God
come follow the light
come and be awed
fight through the fog
weave through the Pharisees
twist through the hubris
come, dare to see
come all ye faithful… or faith empty
come all ye broken and burdened
all ye hopeless, and hurting
come, listen intently
come without preconceived notions
or pre-supposed nations
come for the wonder
and stay for the salvation
sing in choirs of angels
or the broken chords of mortals
sing in exasperated exultation
whether alto, soprano, or deplorable
all citizens of heaven above and earth below
come and commune
with those we dearly love and miss
and those we don’t yet know
because born this happy morning
is the splendid substance of our stories
the condescension that renders our redemption so transforming
glory to God
for the Word made flesh
that our sentences be made fresh
in the eloquence of the most excellent of poets
the glory of the highest be with us at our lowest
come, be blessed
no matter forlorn or reluctant
come, and let torn and troubled
turn joyful and triumphant
come see the lamb and the lion
the messiah in a manger!
come from concrete jungles
or timeworn timber stables
come and behold him
born the King of angels
come ye come ye
come as you are
you don’t need to bring gifts
the only thing you need to bring
is an open heart
What do you think?