Hail, undiminished love, destroyed, yet resurrected, foreshadowed and foreseen, yet always unexpected. Through old, familiar forms, in weekly repetition, God startles us with grace, yet makes no imposition: Exotic angel hosts can show us nothing stranger than pregnancy and birth, and parents at a manger. No scripture, star or sign can guarantee the Savior: a child, a man, a life are all there is on offer. He calls us to decide - for Mammon, or the Kingdom, for tenderness, or pride, for justice, or oppression. Hail, unexpected love in old, familiar story: this ordinary birth is Christ, the hope of glory!