The angel said to them: “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”
-Luke 2:10-12
What is this that shepherds seek?
Curious cries from nascent lungs
The ancient cry of God that rises above the din
No carols or cookies
but alleluias amid the hay
the whole thing— this living &
giving life— a messy affair.
Yet, there beyond the occupier’s grasp,
below the bonds of bureaucrats,
Christ entered in and
Life sprang forth
in swaddling clothes to be held close.
Here at this manger we are fed
with the bread of compassion.
Here we make room
that we may be filled,
filled by the presence
of You in the ones we love;
You in the space that stands
between those we struggle with;
You who whisper in the
gentle chill of the season
I AM HERE
Let us make this
incarnation our feast
That we might be God-Bearers
Lamp Lighters
Divine Guest Houses
that welcome the forlorn and forgotten
and find a place prepared for us too.
That every place may be home
for God and neighbor—
our very being
a testament to the One who has come
a stable home
a hope secure
a manger meant to feed the whole world.
-Sr. Colleen Gibson SSJ, December 2025