Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities

amos the churchmouse: a christmas paradox

amos the churchmouse:

a view from under the pew

Editor's note: When Amos went shopping recently, he encountered the trials of last-minute Christmas shoppers. In frustration, he called out for the real meaning of Christmas.

Just then, Sammy Salamander wiggled by and pointed him to a little nativity scene far from the malling crowd but in the heart of Bugtussle. Jenny (the little girl mouse next door) was playing the role of Mary; Willifred the White Rat was Joseph; Freddy Flea was baby Jesus; Virgil the Praying Mantis was a shepherd; Robin Redjoy, Oliver Owl and Rawley Eagle were the wise men; and Louie the Songdog was a cow.

Amos is a churchmouse who types by hurling himself at the keys but he can't use the shift keys and he shuns punctuation marks -- except for hyphens and dashes.

a christmas paradox

sammy looked at me and

smiled that all-knowing

salamander smile and said

you wanted to know about

christmas - you re standing

at the very heart of its

mystery and miracle right now

the birth of god s very own

son said louie most reverently

but how can that be said me

after all it s plain to see

that baby belongs to she and he

ah that s the mystery of it all

said rawley looking bigger than

tall you see jesus is god s word

in the flesh

the son of god became the son of

man robin redjoy sang

divinity took the form of

humanity virgil said prayerfully

he became what we are so that

we might become what he is

oliver owl fairly screeched

all right all right said i

with a frown i m not

deaf - but i may be now -

so then the mystery of christmas

is the mystery of god becoming

man louie finished with a flair

the mystery of jesus the godman

sammy echoed in the night air

as loud as a salamander dare

the mystery of his being fully

god yet fully man said oliver

owl with a certain amount of

dignification that mystery we

call the incarnation

but what about the miracle

says i somewhat skeptically you

said there was a miracle with

the mystery

so we did and so there is

rawley replied you see alongside

each of god s mysteries comes

one of his miracles

so what miracle are you

talking about i said almost

with a shout

the miracle of christmas

my friend is the virgin birth

he said with a gentle grin

virgin birth i said with a

certain incredulity how can that

be is this really necessary for

me to believe why did it have

to be this way

from the manger scene came

jenny s voice ever so quietly

you see to enter the world

god chose the weakness

of a woman a picture of

submission and humility

and by so doing virgil added

he eliminated proud

mighty man from any

part of the plan

let me see if i have this right

said i groping through the light

god the creator came to his

creation not in power or might

but in the weakness of woman

and the helplessness of a baby

to risk himself in love for all

of us - to love the unlovely and

to die for the ungodly so that

we the unlovely and the ungodly

might live and love forever

boss that simple tableau speaks

volumes - it s a mystery and it s

absolutely miraculous

may you have a merry christmas

and a happy forever

amos

 
 

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