A Strange Story
Whoever heard of a king in a stable
Unless, of course, he was patting his horse;
And whoever brackets shepherds with angels?
Well, perhaps you may if you're writing a play.
And when have kings knelt at the bed of an infant
Unless they are settling dynastic affairs?
All these improbable things in one story
Told down the ages for two thousand years.
A king in a manger surrounded by shepherds
Is as wild as a king nailed to die on a cross;
And a king in a hut sought by exotic strangers
Is as strange as a gift from a corporate boss;
But of all of the strange things told in Jesus' story
The strangest of all is God's life on our earth
To express solidarity with our dilemmas
In spite of the fact that we put him to death.