On that bitterly brilliant starry night 
You were attendant to my suffering, 
offering Your whole Self – 
incarnate 
and 
fully present.

My fear 
and the small-minded bits of my 
self 
chose instead the deceit of the flesh 
– the enemy’s greatest lie – 
comfort, gratification, tribe.  

I long sat in 
regret, 
self-flagellation, 
and 
shame 
until 
the gentle seed of 
new life 
burst through 
the deathly soil of 
my suffering 
into 
Your Glory. 

And therein lies 
the Mystery – 
You are there 
in the lowliness of my flesh 
and 
You are there 
in the redemption of my spirit – 
the gentle Man 
and 
the servant King.