Born, Wrapped

I remember
swaddling my babies
trying to extend
the comfort
they received
from my arms
so when they
laid alone
not in a manger,
but a crib
they’d have
the snug memory
of love wrapped
around them
first in this way
them in others
holding hands
kissing hurts
lingering over
sleeping faces –
rooting and
grounding them
in the Love
of Christ
who was first
born, wrapped
in swaddling clothes
laid in a manger.

© 2017 Laurel Archer

Note: This Advent series is using The Jesse Tree, a liturgical ‘tool’ to help guide and direct spiritual reflection.  Each day leading up to Advent, we  consider one Bible story, or character, beginning from creation, following chronologically (more or less) right up until the birth of Jesus. It’s a way to review the wide sweep of God’s pursuit of humankind across history.