The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas)
Glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace to people of good will! (Lk 2:14) Joy to the World, the Lord has come, let earth receive her king. Let every heart prepare him room and heaven and nature sing! For the last four weeks, we have focused with our children on the themes of peace, hope, joy, and love in addition to lighting our purple and pink candles in preparation for the birth of Jesus. Emmanuel has come. God is with us in the infant, Jesus, lying in the manger.
How strange, though, to be so overjoyed at such a simple and humble event. Think about the setting of Jesus’ Nativity. A young couple could not find a room at the local inn. They slept in a stable, surrounded by farm animals, and laid the baby Jesus in a trough, a long open box that horses and cattle eat from. Oh, to witness the birth of Christ...not flashy, comfy, spectacular, or fancy; quite the opposite in fact. It is oddly fitting that those who did witness Jesus’ birth - the animals present in the stable - are simple, humble creatures of our good God. And the first to be told the good news and glad tidings are shepherds—essentially outcasts of society, the socially UN-elite. Yet, we rejoice and sing the hymns of the angels because “all this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’” (Mt 1:22-23)
Though we were not there to see Mary bringing Jesus into the world, we carry on her mission each and every day. We witness God’s presence in our world today and bring Jesus into the world ourselves. We can make space and bear witness among our families, among the lowly, and among all of creation.
This year has been a mix of emotions. We have been deeply blessed and it is so much fun to witness the buildup of energy as our kids express their joy, gratitude, and excitement in their experience of the wonder of Christmas and the birth of our Lord. Yet, many are sick, jobless, hungry, cold, and most of us are just, plain tired--tired of hatred, tired of anger, tired of violence, tired of disease. But today, hope is born, peace is among us, joy is alive, and love has come. Like Mary, let us go forth in humble service to our good God, giving birth to peace, hope, joy, and love to the world which we encounter daily so that “All the ends of the earth [may see] the saving power of God.” (Ps 98:3c)
Merry Christmas,
- Brandon Meyer