Another Christmas

   Just like the ones I used to know

      Where tree tops glisten and children listen

To hear what

   Sleigh bells or perhaps something more

      The sounds of silence

How can I hear if there is silence

   Good question

      I am stumped

Good answer

   Silence is God’s language

A language

   Of us not filling up all the empty spaces

   Of us not talking because it is uncomfortable

   Of us not thinking because that is all we know to do

   Of us not answering because it is expected

Now we can listen

   To a God who mysteriously fills empty spaces

   To a God who speaks without words

   To a God who encourages us to think in new ways

   To a God who doesn’t need our answers

Which leads us to a wee Babe

   In a nothing town called Bethlehem

   Lying in a lowly stable

   Held by obedient humble parents

   Surrounded by shepherds who left their responsibility

Does that sound like a Christmas you have known

   Or one in which words fail to describe

Listen I think  hear

   The sounds of Christmas Silence