O FATHER, You found my heart,
earthbound and petrified:
hewn from rough stone
that held tight the cold
of a wintry night. 

A home for straw,
which is here today,
and tomorrow is used for kindling. 

But by Your Spirit,
(a warm breath of life)
You softened my heart of stone
into tender flesh
that winced at the cold
and cried out in the darkness. 

And You made it a manger. 
And there in the straw it held,
Christ was born in me. 
I didn’t “give” Him my heart:
He chose my heart. 
You sent Him there. 
And Your Spirit hovered over
my dark abyss,
and made a home for Him there. 

And if I have any
gold or frankincense or myrrh 
   for Him—
any gift at all for my Savior,
Lord, King, and Friend—
I confess joyfully 
that it came from You, Father. 

But I know You don’t need 
   my offerings;
nor does He. 
So Father, by Your Spirit,
pour out Your good gifts
on others through me. 
And accept them as a
thanksgiving offering. 

Because You have chosen 
this lowly manger
full of straw
to be a temple where
Your Son dwells by the Spirit. 

And You look on me
as if I were Him:
You call me Your beloved Child,
in whom You are well-pleased;
and You secure my faith 
in swaddling clothes
made of love that will not
let me go. 

And when I ask You: “Why?
Why me? When my heart
is a dirty manger:
Why should my Lord choose
to dwell there?”
All You ever say is: 
“I will have mercy
on whom I will have mercy.”

What do I know of mercy,
or love, or grace?

But You know them, 
because they are Yours. 
And I am Yours. 

And rough and vulgar as I am,
You have still used me
as a manger
for others to come and feed
from Your hand;
when by some alchemy 
   of Your Spirit—
by some sweet science 
I shall never comprehend—
somehow my straw is love,
and my stubble is grace
   and mercy. 

And I didn’t put it there:
You left it as a gift
that I—Your humble manger—
yielded without any thought. 

So here am I,
Your manger whose only claim
   and comfort 
is that Your Son
has been pleased to 
   abide in me. 
And for His sake,
You are pleased with me. 

And so through Him,
I offer up my Amen to You.