CHRISTMAS MAIL
Cards in each mailbox,
angel, manger, star and lamb,
as the rural carrier,
driving the snowy roads,
hears from her bundles
the plaintive bleating of sheep,
the shuffle of sandals,
the clopping of camels.
At stop after stop,
she opens the little tin door
and places deep in the shadows
the shepherds and wise men,
the donkeys lank and weary,
the cow who chews and muses.
And from her Styrofoam cup,
white as a star and perched
on the dashboard, leading her
ever into the distance,
there is a hint of hazelnut,
and then a touch of myrrh.
-Ted Kooser
Gladsome Lights 
It’s funny how He’s a child but just a small adult. It’s this style of art. I wonder why they did it that way.
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That one is a Coptic style of icon, but all Orthodox icons are likely to portray aspects of an event, or even a person, that happened at different times. That’s because an icon is not a purely historic picture, but symbolically shows theological realities. It is a window into the realm where “everything happens at once” — kairos, not chronological time. Having the baby looking like a grownup reminds us that He is much more than a sweet infant. An example of an icon that transcends time is of Mary and Jesus. Most of the time He appears as a baby, but there are many examples of that image, always essentially a window into the Incarnation, in which Jesus looks like a young adult sitting on her lap.
Thank you for your comment, Sandi ❤
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Thank you, Gretchen! That makes a lot of sense.
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This one is so very charming!
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