Coming of the King

The shepherds are restless. The sheep feel something. The wise men are loading their camels and horses. Their journey is almost at an end.   The star is near.  Mary is not yet in labour.  But Joseph is very concerned.  The manger is waiting. Cattle are lowling.
Christmas is near.  The coming of the Lord. The forever change to creation. God incarnate.  God among us.  The Lord jesus is a baby already.  Alive and well in the womb.  Waiting.  Sensing.  At peace. Seeing. Loving. His mother is afraid but not.  Secure in her vision.  Trusting in her man.  Filled with the wonder of creation.  There are these moments in suffering. The routine of journey. The inevitable.  The coming to the end. A new beginning. She sees it.  She was always fay that way.  A touched woman.
Joseph is quiet.  He has worries upon worries.  He doesn’t know what he will do. A family. There was barely enough to feed himself and Mary. Now another mouth.  And work. There’s work. He loses himself in his work.  But there’s the Roman empire. Soldiers and taxes.  Then Herod and his priest police and Pharisees.  It’s too much for a man.  But he loves Mary and the baby is coming. He’s so proud of his young wife and the coming of the child.  So much has passed so much has transpired. He doesn’t even know if he believes but it’s good to be here.  Bethlehem is near.  He knows they’ll like Bethlehem.
Above the star is shining.  Throughout the galaxies and deep in the middle of the earth there is change.  A shuddering. Conception waiting birth.  The inside coming out.  If a person looks just right they can see the oscillation like diamonds.  String theory explains it.  A phase. A vibration.  Not much. Just enough.
I am here today waiting.  Christmas, just a few more days.   Family together.  I’ve been listening to Christmas songs on the radio. 103.5 FM.  What a wonderful station to play Christmas songs continuously.  All the artists, all the famous singerss and song writers who’ve added to the countless lists of caroles that have already been. Each one different.  Rock and reggae and bee bop and classical.  These songs inspire.  Fun songs.  Dancing through the snow songs.  Happy songs.  Awe filled songs.  So this is Christmas.  Deck the Halls.  Away in a Manger.  I ‘m dreaming of a white Christmas.
It was the darkest day of the year, the least light. It’s now passed. Impossible as that sounds.  I sat with a man who wondered why he should go on.
Christmas, I said.
I’m so depressed, he said.
But you can’t kill yourself before Christmas, I said.
Why.
Anything can happen with Christmas.
And there’s the New Year.
More possibilities? he asked.
Yes, I said.
He was out of work. He wanted work so bad. But the government and it’s new followers only wanted handouts. Hands out made men slaves.  Worse than work.  Work left a man with pride.  Now this man had none.
We talked some more.  He promised to live another couple of days, a week perhaps.  It  was Christmas and New Years was coming too.
He promised to go to church, and send a card to family, wish them well even if he believed they didn’t care. Maybe that was so but a card wouldn’t hurt. Christmas had to start somewhere.  He promised to see me in the New Year too. He promised to call me if he needed.  I gave him my personal phone number. I had his to call. I might call him. He might call me.
Any time.
I worried that this would be the last year I’d save another from suicide. There have been hundreds maybe a thousand or more I’ve convinced not to kill themselves.  Thirty years of working for life.  Thirty years of serving 24/7.
This year the Supreme Court, that August Government Appointed Body unelected, rank and  irresponsible power, declared that physicians can kill with impunity. Not the judges. They don’t get their hands dirty.  They make other people do their killing.  They hide behind words and lies. They don’t even read the Bible. Any holy books are beneath them.  So this year we wait for Justin Trudeau and his Liberals to rubber stamp their decree. Let the games begin!
I will be out of work healing.  No more holding shaking sobbing bodies. No more begging promises to live. No more late night calls. No more all nighters talking sense into defeated and lost souls.  They’re getting rid of the healers.  Only the elite will have the life once was promised to all.  Time to retrain as killers.
So you’re suicidal? Take a number. Guillotine? Gas? Electrocution? Firing squad? What will it be? You have a choice.
The bureaucrats at the Health Authority have already told us, if we don’t want to do abortions we must pimp for the sick fucks who would kill Jesus or Einstein or Bach or Sarah MacLachlan or St. Theresa while they’re still in the womb.  The lousy government elites have put trillions into bombs and bureaucracy but they have given no money to women who would have a child.  They’ve left them no choice but poverty and humiliation or abortion.   And they call it choice.  And cuckold fathers too.
Now they will do the same for suicide.  The marginalized and those in despair. The mentally ill ambivalent at the best of times. More suffering and abuse heaped on the already defeated.  Die you losers.  Die!
The Killers cry out. Murderers and Sociopaths rule. Life is a party for them.   Herod and the Pharisees are hot, hot, hot!    Nothing is new. Pontus Pilate is the ambassador of Caesar Obama. Herod's in Ottawa. The names change. The roles don’t.  Empires and war lords and baby killers.  Charming folk. Perfect teeth.
The real star is above us now.  Hardly moving at all.
Cattle are  lowling. I’m glad I’m old.  Hipocrates is rolling over in his grave. Luke is ashamed. The stars are weeping. The earth is crying out.  There will be gnashing of teeth.
But not now. Now is the coming of the King.
Now is  growing wonder. Now  is hope. Feel it. Feel it. Focus.  Feel it! Have no fear!  Fear not!  Believe it.  God is good. All of the time.  This too will pass. But now Jesus is awakening.  He will soon be here.  The world will know his cry again and again.  Not like a lion. But a wee small voice.  Listen. Carefully. Pay attention.   Hallelujah.  A baby will be born.
Renewal.  Praise. Hope.   Hallelujah. The Coming of the King.