By Lisa Huddleston

Some were waiting

the day he arrived.

They had been waiting

for years,

for months,

forever.

The aging prophets

looking with milky eyes

to see

the light of revelation.

A he and a she.

Both waiting

to behold

the Hope of the nations.

The young couple

newly wed yet still apart.

Waiting for

her son,

their son,

their Savior.

And the hosts of Heaven

waited, too,

to announce his birth

with glory.

And he was here!

Wrapped in human skin

and cloth

and laid in a manger.

Yet some did not expect him.

They had no room in the inn.

They struggled to stay awake

as they dozed over their sheep.

They had their own children to birth

and their own dreams to nurse.

Yet he came just the same,

unexpected but not unannounced.

For those who waited,

joy burst forth in praise.

“My soul magnifies the Lord!”

“My eyes have seen your salvation!”

And their hope was fulfilled.

The rest were surprised

and afraid.

“Fear not, for behold!”

This Good News was

for all the people!

For those watching sheep

and for those watching stars.

For old prophets and young infants

yet to open their eyes.

For those he would call,

for those he would heal,

and for those he came to set free.

Even for those who had no idea that he had come at all.

This gift.

This Savior.

This Jesus.

“Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace among those

with whom he is pleased!”