There’s a light snow cover outside making the early morning dark a little lighter. The deer ate the corn I left out for them The clouds obscure the dawn, making it darker than it should be. The streets are still quiet though they’ll get busy later on.
The baking’s done so family and friends will have loaves of pulla, Finnish coffee bread. The fragrance of cardamom still wafts throughout the house. But now fearful of the Omicron variant, many churches are canceling their traditional Christmas Eve services. How do we celebrate the coming of hope for a new world when we are so fearful?
Living in hope does not mean ignoring the reality of the world around us. It means that we are to live in care for others, such as being fully vaccinated and masking outside of our homes. It also means working for change that will bring real hope to the world. The birth we celebrate tomorrow is more than a cute baby in a manger. It is the beginning of true hope for a more just and peaceful world.
Prayer for the Day
It’s easy to pray, O God, when we sit I the light of candle’s glow,
But ever so difficult when we realize the pain in the world;
Images of snow covered hills and warm fireplaces come to mind,
But for many snow only means cold and hunger.
May we feel the light of your compassion this Christmastide,
And share your love with the forgotten and the stranger.
In the name of the One who came to show us how to love,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
It is no use saying that we are born 2,000 years too late to give room to Christ . …Christ is always with us, always asking for room in our hearts , and giving shelter or food to anyone who asks for it, or needs it, is giving it to Christ.
- Dorothy Day, social activist for peace and justice (1897-1980)
It’s tempting to turn Christmas into a safe holiday that asks little of us. But that would ignore the prophetic, subversive life of Jesus.
- John Gehring, journalist, “Why Christmas is Radical"
And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
The Gospel According to Luke 2: 7