etcetera:

By Noah Bartley

Chara – From the perspective of Elizabeth in Luke 1:39-45

O chosen mother of my Lord and King,

Unmatched in blessedness among all men:

Rejoice! For he who grows within in me springs,

Jumping for joy at his womb-cushioned kin.

One leap and that prophetic silence broke!

You bear, O Mary, long-awaited yield,

Creating He who forms and shapes the oak

Or all that sprouts within the fertile field.

My son’s prophetic, Spirit-kindled leap

Proclaims the pulsing joy that we will hold.

Living within you now is Joy so deep,

Even the darkest sorrows shine like gold.

The Lord has come with quickened tiny feet;

Embodied Joy will soon make ours complete!