STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK

What do full-bosomed peony blossoms shivering in a jade green bowl or a woman standing at the swell of the muddy Mississippi have to do with the Christmas message?

They’re part of the poems included in St. Thomas Episcopal Church’s “Reflections on Christ’s Nativity,” meant to bring a different perspective to the long-told story of the birth of the Christ Child.

The poetry of former Poet Laureate Billy Collins, “Legends of the Fall” author Jim Harrison, Spanish poet Sor Juana Ines de  la Cruz and others will be interspersed between short Bible readings taking the audience from Creation to The Word Made Flesh at 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 8, at the church at 201 Sun Valley Road.

The free presentation will be followed by a festive reception.

The special evening will also include special music, such as Mumford and Sons’ “I Will Wait for You” and Stephen Schwartz’s “Beautiful City from Godspell” sung by Dr. Tom Archie, St. Thomas Playhouse Artists and the St. Thomas Episcopal Parish Choir.

The Anglican tradition of offering a service like this began in the late 19th century in Cornwall, England, and quickly became a widespread, beloved practice. It tells the story of the Creation and the fall of humanity, the promise of a Messiah and the birth of Christ through scripture readings and hymns.

St. Thomas added selections of poetry to enhance the experience of wonder at these holy mysteries.

“ ‘Reflections on Christ’s Nativity’ is a traditional Anglican service of lessons and carols as a way to tell God’s relationship to man,” said the Rev. Kathleen Bean. “St. Thomas started adding poetry to it with the poetry speaking back to the scripture all in conversation.”

This year’s featured poets include a nun writing in the 17th century, as well as young poets of the 21st century. Each brings their unique observations of the experience of being human.

In his poem “As If to Demonstrate an Eclipse,” Billy Collins writes of placing on orange on a table to represent the sun and adding a blue and white marble to represent earth next to a little moon of an aspirin.

“I get a glass from a cabinet, open a bottle of wine, then I sit in a ladder-back chair, a benevolent god presiding over a miniature creation myth, and I begin to sing a homemade canticle of thanks for this perfect little arrangement, for not making the earth too hot or cold, not making it spin too fast or slow….” he writes.

Ada Limon talks of being in a raging battle with her body, “a spinal column thirty-five degrees bent, vertigo that comes and goes like a DC Comics villain nobody can kill...” only to be inspired by spotting a girl half her age dressed as Wonder Woman as the brass blares from the Steamboat Natchez.

And Jim Harrison writes “I don’t know what. I don’t know what. I’m modern man at the crossroads, an interstice where ten thousand roads meet and exfoliate….” In his poem “Pico.”

“That poem by Billy Collins brings scripture into our daily life, brings it alive in a new way,” said Bean. “We have one poem this year by Rita Dove called ‘Dawn Revisited’ that starts off ‘Imagine you wake up with a second chance.’ That’s the story of salvation right there. Another poem talks about a sign that changes direction.”

Bean spends a year sorting through poetry looking for the perfect poems to use in “Reflections on Christ’s Nativity.” She was aided this year by Sara Gorby and Sarah Pettit, a scholar of Spanish language poetry who found two poems by Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, a 17th-century nun and poet who is considered one of the most important female authors in Spanish language literature and a symbol of Mexican nationalism, freedom of speech, women’s rights and sexual diversity. She has been presented as a candidate for Catholic sainthood.

“I like to read poetry--I look at collections, listen to poetry podcasts,” said Bean. “We try hard to get a  variety of poetry with authors of different genders, nationalities…poems that are from the past, poems that are contemporary.”

Those taking part in Sunday’s presentation are Brian Bean, Heather Black, Rob Gieselmann, Clyde Holt, Page Klune, Ellen Sanders, Elizabeth Tierney and Tom Tierney under the direction of Claudia McCain.

Also taking part are the Very Rev. M. Jonah Kendall, the Rev. Kathleen Bean and Music Director Joel Bejot.