I imagine the orb of the earth turning round the sun, as the sun goes carouseling round the galaxy, and the galaxy dances round the universe, with a trillion trillion other galaxies for partners. Of course, I can’t imagine the scale of time and space involved; it’s just too big, too far, too long, too much; there are no words, there are just no words. And yet it all fits within measureable bounds.
We, being God’s children, have eternal souls. And we carry our earthen vessels out across the surface of the turning world, under the wheeling stars of the heavens doing the work that God has put us here in this measurable where-and-when to do. We struggle and we suffer, we laugh and rejoice, we live and we die. We are eternal souls living for a time within the bounds of time. Language strains to find purchase.
I imagine the cogs and gears and tumblers of the cosmic clockworks whirring and ratcheting routinely along until the instant when they fall precisely into place and for one indefinable moment they are still. Only a heartbeat. Only the intake of a newborn baby’s breath. Only the sliver of infinity that it takes for God to slip into the world.
It is the hinge-point of all creation. The night of heaven and earth.
The Night of Heaven and Earth
words and music © Garrison Doles
from his CD Songmaker’s Christmas
One by one the stars appear as the day expires
Evening’s balm
Peace and calm
Gathered 'round our fires
All across the earth are we, bathed in lambent light
Sky so clear, draw us near, on this holy night
refrain
Come and walk upon the world
We have longed for your presence here
Live in our lives, this is the night
Of heaven and earth
This is the night of heaven and earth
2.
We carry earthen vessels, out across the plains
Come and share
Our common fare
Of comfort and of pain
Now a single star appears and leads us to the place
Where we await to celebrate heaven’s earthly grace
repeat refrain
bridge
Mother Mary at her labor
In the way of flesh and blood
The Baby Jesus’ crying fills the air
The voice of God
3.
One by one the stars are gone as the day is born
Sky so blue
World made new
On this Christmas morn
All across the earth we go, to journey on our way
Find us here, hold us dear, on this holy day
repeat refrain
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