Sunday, December 25, 2016

The Baby...

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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