The baby emerges
like every baby:
wet, naked and wrinkled,
mouth opening for breath,
lungs expanding like a wet butterfly,
fingers stretching, eyes blinking.
The first wailing cry.
Arms cradle,
hands touch each limb,
smoothing, cleaning, swaddling.
Two adults weak with relief,
stretched with joy,
lips brush the tiny cheek,
the first kiss.
A baby is born,
a mother is delivered,
prayers are murmured
for a miracle of birth
to a travelling family
far from home
for their first born.
A mother bends
with her mouth close
to a tiny ear, soft and bent,
as she whispers the word “Jesus”.
It means salvation.
Hope for a nation
come at last.
I am a Mennonite pastor currently teaching theology at Conrad Grebel University College in Waterloo, Ontario. I’ve served congregations in Ontario and most recently, Alberta.