Happy birthday, Jesus–
lives and lives have passed
since we saw you last at Gethsemane.
But you are in our hearts
and minds this silent night
as we light a light in hope of light to be.
We shunned the love you offered
with your outstretched hand;
for we tend to crucify
what we don’t understand.
But truth cannot be shaken
just by taking lives.
So you rose again
as proof before our eyes.
Even so, on this night
all is not calm; all is not bright.
We still have the hungry.
We have the poor.
And we haven’t found the peace of mind
that puts an end to war.
Good wishes and intentions
are the gifts we bring.
I wish we had a more substantial offering.
But peace on earth, good will toward men
will have to wait
‘til love can rise above the bonds of hate.
We have not ceased, since you came,
fighting over what you said –
and fighting in your name.
Could you please send another star
we could follow through the dark
to get a fix on where you are.
I don’t know if we’d know you
if you came again
and you walked and taught among us
as you did back then.
For all I know, you could be standing next to me.
So I’ll try to find your face in all I see.
May this day be our birthday.
May we live as one.
May peace take root inside us.
May your kingdom come–
if not on Earth,
within our hearts this silent night
as we light a light in hope of light to come.