The
Gift
“...In
the quiet moments of prayer
this
Christmas, that brief oasis
from the
bustle of the world
bring
alive to us
the smell
of the hay
the sound
of the animals
the cry of
the baby...”
Contemporary
Prayer (www.faithandworship.com)
Do you have a baby in
your family? My family has two little three-year-old's—a boy and a
girl, and baby girl on the way. My wonderful Aunt Lane (may she rest
in peace), of gentle spirit and birdseed fame, has yet another
great-grandchild coming in May. One of my neighbors has a new baby
boy. I see their lights on late at night—no doubt they are feeding, rocking,
sleep deprived zombies in service to a needy little despot. Babies
are life changing. They transform us from children into adults with
their first wail. They move us from being the golden center of our
universe to being the slave of a bawling, demanding, precious little
tyrant who clasps our beating heart in one tiny fist. They're time
consuming—all your time, everyday for the next twenty years and
beyond. If you have a baby, God bless you. But then, God has blessed
you already.
The baby Jesus, whose
birthday we celebrate today, was no different, I promise you. All
those sweet stories about cattle lowing, and shepherd's kneeling, and
heavenly hosts singing—set those aside for a moment. He was still a
human baby, just as fragile and demanding as any other. I'll bet Mary
said, “You guys please get out of this stable so I can get some
sleep.” And like any other human baby, he was a gift beyond
measure, a shining star in the firmament of our collective heaven.
Every baby brings a new dawn, a new day, a guiding light. In all
their tiny, bald, innocent pinkness, they are the hope of the world.
In the Spirit,
Jane
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