The Christ
Child
“The
pillar of the world is hope.”
Kanuri
Proverb, Nigeria
Today,
we celebrate the birth of the Christ Child. To my way of thinking,
that child, and any other newborn baby, represents hope in its purest
form. Hope for our world, hope for a new way of being, hope for
hearts turned toward the light rather than toward darkness. With each
newborn, we hope that this child brings with it something that will
change the world. We hold that expectation in the way that we watch
them intently, study their every move, note every nuance of personality
and character. Even when not stated, our hope rides with this little
creature.
The
generation of babies being born now to the so-called “Millennials”
will live into that hope, I believe. Every one I have had the
privilege to meet and observe, seems brighter, more alert, more
intensely themselves earlier than any past generation. Their parents
are the largest, best educated, most forward-thinking, innovative and
progressive generation in decades, maybe ever. And their babies are
coming here with those characteristics in spades.
When
Jesus was born in Bethlehem, according to the Bible, his birth came
with great fanfare—angels singing, shepherds kneeling, wise men
traveling great distances to pay homage. “Unto you is born this day
in the city of David, a savior...” God with us—Emanuel. That is
our hope, and has been every year since then. We hope for someone
with the wisdom and the power to save us. Jesus was a human baby,
born in the usual way to two humble, human parents. He lived among
his people in a small town, and was never taken to be anything but “a
smart kid” until he began his ministry. That child could be living
among us right now. That is our hope this Christmas.
In
the Spirit,
Jane
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