Just as expectant parents prepare for the miracle of birth, decorating the nursery and buying supplies for their newborn, so we prepare our hearts to receive this greatest gift of all, the miracle of God’s love.
God does not need a labor and delivery room because God is the one in whom we live, and move and have our being. But when we are wounded by others or weary from struggling against the forces of evil we sometimes forget God is close enough to taste the salt of our tears.
Today we are tired of the bad news that bombards us every day. We are tired of senseless violence, tired of natural disasters, tired of fearing an invisible virus, and oh so tired of separation from loved ones and interruptions to our normal lives.
[Light Candle] And yet we light this candle of love again on this short December day because we know God is always here and everywhere. We rejoice and hope and love, not because all is well in our weary world, but because it is well with our souls. We are warm even this close to the winter solstice because we are wrapped in God’s eternal love.
And so we pray: O Holy One, even as our days grow shorter the candles of hope, peace, joy and love burn brightly. Even in the darkness we see the star of Bethlehem leading us to the greatest gift of Love the world has ever received. We know you will be with us this week even if all the gifts have not arrived, even if the guest list is missing people we love, even if we are in quarantine; because nothing can separate us from your love. We can’t begin to explain this holy miracle, but we light candles and sing praises anyway because we feel your love in the depths of our souls. For that gift we give you thanks and praise. Amen
Peacefully Harsh 