Most of us describe our childhood Christmas memories as “magical.” The memories and experiences were so good; we felt very special, much chosen, and very beloved. They were God experiences because God meets us where we are, even as a very young child.
We experienced looking at the Nativity scene and feeling lucky to live in a world where everything makes sense and everything good, while this little baby was born in very humble conditions. Looking back, however, the magic was us being transported to another world and time where the foundation is love and God is in everything.
The symbol of Christmas is the birth of and incarnation of God’s word and promise making crooked paths straight, rough places smooth, tired hearts refreshed and dead hopes stir with the promise of new life.
May this Christmas bring the promise of tomorrow, the movement of life in defiance of death, and the assurance that love is sturdier than hate, that right is more confident than wrong, and that good is more permanent than evil.
May this Christmas bring each of us the gift of a magical experience, reminding us that we are beloved, part of a good world, stirring with the “newness of life.”
Luke 2:10-14 “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”
