Happy Holidays
Winter Wishes
’Tis the holiday season
The Festival of Light.
When and Why
did the word ‘Christmas’
become such a threat?
A word to be avoided?
Why do we take offence
at the sight of a baby?
Poor, conceived out of wedlock
Homeless.
When I enter the darkness of the stable
I see little.
No tinsel here.
Yet I am drawn to the scene.
This babe in whom all our hopes rest
The mother lifts him and gestures.
I draw near and he is placed
into my waiting arms.
Just a baby
a chubby arm flails up and meets my cheek.
holding him a wave of love consumes me.
For somehow, he is mine own.
This child will live and grow
and die and live and be mine. forever.
What comfort to hold him
knowing this is so.
Here I can leave my pain
My disappointments
My grief.
The Christ Child will take them all
and remain with me
loving
comforting
forever.
It has been 9 months since I’ve written here. An interesting time frame. Perhaps something has been incubating and maturing, growing within, in a hidden place, unable to shared until it is ready to be born.
For now, the rich simplicity of the Christmas message has struck me anew.
Immanuel.
God with us. God came to us. In so many ways: to Mary as a prophetic declaration A promise and plan beyond her wildest dreams with a reassurance - Fear not, you have found favour - to Joseph in dreams with instructions to Elizabeth as a leap of joy within to Herod as a threat to Bethlehem as someone needing a room to Shepherds as a glorious, joyful host of angels to wise men as a light in the dark to Simeon and Anna as a promise fulfilled. to earth as a new Hope, a Promise, a Grace, an Open Door to Eternity.
