2014 Bible Reading Plan for Christmas
Days 20 and 21 are set aside for worship and rest
Day 22 Reading: Luke 2:21
Jesus is Circumcised

After eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the child;
and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel
before he was conceived in the womb.
– Luke 2:21

Poem: Blood Trail
Where did the bloodshed begin?
Follow the trail to its start

The last shall be first

A centurion’s spear
used in an indifferent stab,
declaring he’s done

A few steps back,
his rings are found
glistening like garnets,
each still moist
a ring of jagged nails
a ring of stinging thorns
a ring of prickly ridicule

More clues emerge
A spattered stone that made him stumble
Monstrous cast off from a ravenous whip
Trace from a Sadducee’s slap

Outside Jerusalem, salty crimson evidence
in the dark earth of a lonely garden
beside a vandalized tomb
atop a hill overlooking the city

An awl tests positive in Nazareth
Perhaps he was pierced while working with his father
A knife tests positive in Bethlehem
Sharp enough for Abraham’s mark on an 8 day old son
Sharp enough to cut the cord

First blood found

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This post is part of the 2014 Bible Reading Plan for Christmas. Click here for more information, including a list of all the readings.

Poem: Blood Trail  © 2010 Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia
You are welcome to use this work in a worship setting with proper attribution.
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