I wrote this piece after Room in the Inn at First Presbyterian. We had as guests a young couple and their infant child.
I saw them earlier in the evening,
He with the baby on his hip –
Eyes wide and distracted
By the steady hum and easy jostling
Of church-folk in a food line.
Soon someone offered to hold
The Little One
So dad could more easily
Get enough hot ham and cheese
Sandwiches to sustain his little
Homeless family of three
One night more.
So many were perplexed,
Surprised at such vulnerability,
An infant and young parents
In from the cold,
Looking for a room in the inn.
As if we hadn’t heard,
As if we didn’t know
He would come.
The children take the stage
Singing Rudolph and Jingle Bells,
And the fragile baby,
Passed around like found treasure,
Held tightly among them.
Silent night, holy night
Sleep in heavenly peace.
christopherjoiner 