Hard Times

Hard Times

A hard time we’ve had of it:

March to December. 

Beleaguered by rampant plague, 

distracted leadership, lies

and unbelief, trust dying on the airwaves.

We’ve endured shortages, closings

and curtailments, meeting outdoors, 

keeping our distance, learning to wash, 

to sanitize, to wear our masks. We know

(more than we ever wanted to)

about ventilators and hospital beds 

and refrigerated -truck morgues,

positivity rates and grim statistics:

graphs full of spikes that never seem to flatten, 

but continue to eternity.

 

We are not counting fires and floods,

riots, and hurricanes, political machinations, 

storms and accusations,

marchers and violence (by and toward police), 

the signs and shouts and terrors 

that prowl the edges of our dreams.

We are frightened.

 

A hard time, a hard year 

of struggling through, of prayer and despair,

of impatience and boredom, of missing friends and family, 

of sickness and death and apprehension,

of worry and fear and anxiety

that brings us at last 

to Christmas.

 

“Peace on earth, goodwill to men”

Can there ever be peace again?

Where is the joy? The goodwill?

Can we come together? 

At least to pray, at least

to worship the One 

who saw us as we are, and said, “Yes”...

Who saw us as salvageable,

who determined He would save us.

We survey our world, and it is hard to see

why He might think us worth the effort--

 

And yet, He comes. Soon, He comes...

Prince of peace, Lord of Hope,

God of Forgiveness...whether we

deserve it or not, He comes.

His time is here. His time is now.

And so is ours. To forgive. To hope. To love.

Emmanuel. God with us.

Come let us adore Him.