Wednesday Prayer, December 15, 2021

God, we pray for all who wait,
even longer than our Advent –
Simeons and Annas,
long waiting with no star,
no singing, except their own song,
of birth and death –
like many people I visit in assisted living,

and innkeepering essential workers
who meet danger at the door
every single day,
and are always expected to do more,
and criticized when they cannot,

caravan travelers,
delayed so much longer
than crèche and pageant paints,
living rough, living disappointed,
trying recovery again and again,
melchior-scroogy-grinches
taking the journey
because of their many regrets,
balthazars, so angry
and want to change the world,
caspers, running away
willing to hitch to any star,

and several, mostly women,
who answered an angel “no,” saying …
six kids already and the donkey died,
or can’t bear the shame,
or frightened to do anything
that will hurt so badly,
(never condemned always wondering).

For all of these and so many others,
we pray a moment of Christmas
in every day of the year.
amen

(photograph by Scott Marrese-Wheeler)

Maren C. Tirabassi’s advent to epiphany poetry volume Christmas Eve at the Epsom Circle McDonald’s has returned to bookstores and local church virtual readings. She blogs at gifts in open hands at wordpress dot com.

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