Twas the night before Christmas and all through the church
The creatures are stirring wherever you search.
The children have lined up in costume and glitter,
Small shepherds, big Jesus, and angels that twitter.
The choirs have rehearsed every Fa, la, la, la, la-r
Hodie, Gloria, following yonder star!
Flower guild styled greens, clipped on hill and dale,
From florists, trees, and yards like yours, night pruning beats a sale.
And swags were all swung with plenty of clearance
So that Keith who is tall could make an appearance.
When up on the roof there arose such a stormin’
It’s Josh, the new priest, who used to be Roman.
There’s Mark who will fix every shingle that’s dangling,
And Amanda who calms every nerve that is jangling.
Call Ellen who makes all the trains run on time,
Cristina, for whom every breath is sublime,
Bless Anna who guides to the school every child,
Thank Mary and Grace, Mother T who is mild.
Bert and Robert at keyboard and Abby beside
Alison filing music and Chuan back in his stride.
And don’t forget Katrina who keeps the books true,
Or Rob who is sexton and our newest friend Huu.
To round out the team way back there in the corner
Is live streamer Ben Paglinauan-Warner.
O little town of Baltimore, how chill we see thee lie!
Each neighborhood has something good, like bars or food to buy.
Where network films are sometimes made that challenge and inspire,
There’s House of Cards and Homicide and Simon’s show The Wire.
In Pigtown many porkers race the Squeakness through the streets,
Near B & O and old Mount Clare, where Babe Ruth cut his teeth.
And Edgar Allen Poe is laid to rest on West Fayette,
So Ravens fans can lift a can to Toaster never met.
From Harlem Park to Roland Park and Hamden in between,
Fed Hill and Canton, Highlandtown, Mt. Vernon cuts a scene.
There’s much to savor east and west, our charms stretch south and north,
One Baltimore building step by step to make God’s peace on earth.
Come thou long-expected Ravens,
Born to make your city proud
We just need a few more touchdowns,
Pass complete and score allowed.
Baltimore’s strength and consolation,
Hope of every fan thou art
Help us beat the Green Bay Packers,
Smash the Steelers, bless their hearts.
Born thy faithful to deliver
To the play-offs, with some style.
Birdland we will flock together
Thrill us Jackson, Derrick, Kyle.
So gather close this blessed night as heaven comes quite near
Now born a king and yet a child, the holy one is here.
To reconcile the nations and bring God’s peace to life,
And stir the part of every heart that heals our stress and strife.
In us, as at your dawning, we feel the pangs of birth,
The hopes and fears of all the years stretch clear across the earth,
For night is at its darkest before the morning breaks,
Your light, our hope, your truth, our strength for every human’s sake.
Go tell it on the mountain, y’all, with joyful voices shout,
That in unlikely places our God has come about.
Good news for you and love proclaimed in this poem that I write,
Happy Christmas to you all and to all a blessed night!
Love,
David