What does your house look like? Is it a whirlwind of activity, an oasis of peace? A tent? A wish? Home for the holidays is loaded with assumptions, regret, and joy — all weirdly mixed together — and challenging, if we pause to ponder with Mary. For those of us gifted with happy childhoods, we might yearn for a simpler time with less to think about.
The truth is that there never has been peace on earth, never a time when all children were safe, all people were fed, when violence ceased throughout the world. So why do we continue with this hope, this improbable dream? For those of us who follow Jesus, we do it because we trust that somehow he was on the right track, that somehow, in some mysterious way, he is still with us, vulnerable as a newborn, humble as a teacher and healer, sacrificial as a lover. I have never been able to turn away from him, from the ridiculous hope that he expressed with his life.
And I hope he calls to your heart too, to see in every child — whether naughty or nice, whether facing death or safe in a place where they are loved — the possibility of a different world order. It begins with us, with how we treat each other. It begins with our willingness to be humble, to be sacrificial, to be faithful, even when we cannot predict the outcome.
And so: O come Emmanuel, abide within our hearts, stir our minds, bless the generous work of our hands. Be the gentle dark of the womb and the light that breaks through storms to show the way. Be with us now and always.
Abide within Our Hearts
