Inching Closer

Words like love and joy fall from our lips this time of year;
We sing them in church;
We send them in cards;
We let the stir and simmer in our hearts;
They are drenched with our prayers that this time they might take root.

We know that these are more than words;
They found life and breath and expression in the life of Christ.
We know that these are more than words;
They are God's vision, prayer, dream of what our world can still be.

Can love find space in a world where words are tossed around so carelessly?
Can joy find a place in a world where there is too much pain, hurt and need for healing?
The response to God on Christmas Eve is an emphatic, "Yes!"
But not in a way of might makes right.
God's "Yes" was a weak force of a stable, under starlight, barely noticed save a few shepherds...
And who would believe them after all?
God's "Yes" was a weak force of wise ones from the East, foreigners, who got lost following the star...wound up on Herod's door...
And who would believe them after all?

Who would believe us that what we will sense in six short days changes everything,
Especially when the rout news cycle hits repeat after a few short lived days?
Who would believe us that joy and love are more than words when the rulers of the world
still sneer and scoff at such a sentiment?
But that was true two thousand years ago.
Herod laughed.
Caesar didn't even flinch.
Christmas for powerful and prestigious didn't even register.
But for us...
For those who have stood in the straw and stared into the eyes of the vulnerable God,
We know that love and joy are more than words.

May the truth, promise, and light of this season take root in your lives this week.

Blessings ~