God of Real things.

Based on a true story :-)

I knocked my nativity set over
It had been neatly set out and displayed
I bought it a number of years ago
So it's a little bit old I'm afraid

But, each year I remove all the wrapping
And I take out each small wooden shape
The stable doors are opened
And a nice little scene I create

There's a star on the top - it slots into the roof
But each year there's a little less straw
I felt sad when I knocked it all flying
And Joseph fell onto the floor.

Two of the wise men fell over
Though the other remained on his knees
As he offered a gift to the baby
and the donkey looked on, none too pleased.

Yet Mary seemed quite unaffected
And that's how she's often portrayed
Incredibly calm and collected
In clean, uncreased clothing arrayed.

The reality though would be different
With noises and smells all around
and numerous people milling about
in a strange, unfamiliar town.

Mary would surely be tired
And Joseph a little concerned
by the angels and wisemen and shepherds
and the strange revelations they'd learned.

In all of that chaos, a baby cries
God in human form
In amidst the discomfort and disarray
Our Saviour, our King was born.

And it's often in our darkest times
That God is really found
When we're frightened or we're struggling
When there's no-one else around

He steps into our chaos
Our disrupted lives, our mess
He's there right in the midst of it
To ease our pain, our stress

Let's not pack Jesus away again
When Christmas has passed by
You can't wrap him up and hide him
No matter how hard you try.

He's a real God, for real life
For whatever you're going through
And He wants you to believe in Him
He wants to be real to you.

Karen Holmes
21 December 2013