Christmas begins
when the Word breathes among us
and keeps unfolding
like a slow-rising sun
across the landscape of our longing.

This is the season
when God grows in quiet places
when the manger whispers
its fragile glory
into the corners of our doubt.

Shepherds return changed,
Mary holds mysteries like dew
and the Child is revealed
from cradle to Jordan
where water recognizes its Maker.

Between swaddling cloth
and baptismal waters
lies the true Christmas
God choosing to dwell
and to be known
in the steady tenderness
of our human days.