“i like my nativities
with a side of heresy
with midwives and mothers
and empty mangers
and full arms
i like wise women
over wise men
attending to bloody people
born and crucified
showing up in places
church leaders won’t go
i like heralding feminist agendas
and trouble
and god’s good news
which is kind of repetitive
since they’re all the same thing
proper churches
want proper nativities
because women’s bodies
are shameful
whether bearing christ
or just bare
and instead of silent nights
i like loud protests
because
be silent
is not a phrase about joy
but about control
so give me a christmas
without white supremacy
and bright sexism
where the story of a baby
becomes a story of a woman
and my nativity looks like
god’s
and not like
man’s”
~ Kaitlin Hardy Shetler
