Pulling them from the ether
from
the nightly news, the shadows,
Conjuring
the facts, the images
the
characters portraying
in
the nativity scene, the story,
of
who would be in the stable
who
would be the shepherds
the
homeless, the first responders
watching
their flocks by night
in
a modern retelling, a living version,
of
the Christmas story, of Christ’s birth.
It
was the street people, the lost, the broken
those
who are homeless and alone
the
police on the beat, in the breach, on patrol;
These
were the shepherds watching, standing guard,
in
the streets at night, in the darkness
out
in the cities, the urban landscape;
They
were the ones in the darkness,
on
each cold night, on guard,
waiting
for the coming of the Christ
for
the birth of our risen Savior.
They
would be the ones, those
who
cried out, in fear, in awe
when
the angels sang above them;
Going
to that place under the bridge
the
place few of us would willing tread
where
the Christ-child was born,
in
such humble estate;
They
found the father and mother and
the
child wrapped as best they could
trying
to keep Him warm, in the darkness.
They
knelt at the bed of our Savior, of Jesus,
a
cardboard box, old newspapers, that was all
there
in the cold of that night
with
nothing to give Him but their presence,
responding
to the angels;
They
heard the songs of the angel choir
answering
the angels’ call to them;
Going
as they were led to His humble bed,
to
praise God under the bridge, the shadows,
to
exalt our newborn King.
They
went back into that night, joy-filled,
the
shepherds, the homeless,
out
into the world, the streets, the darkness
to
share, to bear witness, to proclaim
the
Messiah’s birth in the urban jungle;
Wondering
who would listen to the message
of
such humble witnesses, these shepherds,
alone
in the night, out in the streets
proclaiming
the present coming of God.
---------------
edited December 30, 2016
Street People – v16
(merging
edits to version 2 and version 15)
edited
December 4, 2015
Street
People – v15
(editing
version 14)
edited/merged
December 3, 2015
Street
People – v14
(merging
edits with version 13, version 6, version 7, version 8, version 9,
version
10, version 11, and version 12)
edited/merged
December 2, 2015
Street
People – v13
(merging
edits to version 3, version 2, version 4, and version 5)
edited
November 12, 2015
Street
People – v12
(merging
edits to version 2 and version 7)
edited
November 7, 2015
Street
People – v11
(editing
version 3)
edited
November 2, 2015
Street
People – v10
(editing
version 2)
edited
October 16, 2015
Street
People – v9
(editing
version 6)
edited
October 14, 2015
Street
People – v8
(editing
version 4)
edited
May 1, 2015
Street
People – v7
(editing
original again)
edited
March 23, 2015
Street
People – v6
(editing
version 5)
edited
February 17, 2015
Street
People – v5
(merging
edits to version 2 and version 4)
edited
February 10, 2015
Street
People – v4
(merging
edits to version 2, version 3, and original)
edited
January 17, 2015
Street
People – v3
(editing
version 2)
Edited
November 23, 2012
Street
People – v2
December
20, 2009
Street
People
&
December 20, 2009
Would it be under a bridge
&
December 20, 2009
Homeless and Alone
&
December 20, 2009
Finding Shelter
&
December 20, 2009
Without a Reservation
Alive Now Daily Reflections for December 14, 2009 to
December 20, 2009
Luke 2:1-7 (December 18, 2009)
Luke 2:8-20 (December 19, 2009)
&
Luke 2:6-7
&
Advent Christmas offering letter
Suncook United Methodist Church
Suncook, NH
All of my poems, photographs, and videos are copyrighted
by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009,
2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017. All rights are reserved.
Contact me at Ray Foss
(raymondafoss@gmail.com)
for usage. See all 42,680+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com
Poetry Where You Live.
Advent,
Advent Conspiracy, Alive Now, Christ, David, Emmanuel, Faith, God, Joseph, Luke
2, manger, Mary, Methodist, Poetry Where You Live, prophesy, servant, stable,
police, homeless, America,
#Advent
#AdventConspiracy #AliveNow #Christ #David #Emmanuel #Faith #God #Joseph #Luke2
#manger #Mary #Methodist #prophesy #servant #stable #police #homeless #UMC
#America
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