Friday, December 28, 2007

So this is Christmas, the fourth day

“So this is Christmas
And what have you done
Another year over
And a new one just begun
And so this is Christmas
I hope you have fun
The near and the dear ones
The old and the young”


So this is truly Christmas. It is the season where we are reminded of miracles. The conception of Jesus was a miracle. The fact that Mary, an unwed young girl, pregnant by someone other than her betrothed, in a world where women were merely another piece of property, was not stoned to death is yet another miracle. The star, the angels, the shepherds, the pageants held across the world to celebrate the birth of this baby birth are more miracles born of hope.

“And so this is Christmas
For weak and for strong
For rich and the poor ones
The road is so long
And so happy Christmas
For black and for white
For yellow and red ones
Let's stop all the fight"

So this is Christmas when we hope for miracles in our lives – the miracle of renewed health for all our loved ones suffering from some dis-ease, physical, spiritual or mental.

“And so this is Christmas
And what have we done
Another year over
And a new one just begun
And so happy Christmas
I hope you have fun
The near and the dear one
The old and the young”

In this Christmas, we pray for the miracle of a changed world where hope will grow green and fresh again just as the new born flowers of spring. We pray for a miracle that we will stop hating, stop killing one another.

And so in this Christmas, we pray especially for all those who “put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe” in the miracle that is our faith. We pray that they will loosed from the “great millstone” around their necks and find room in their hearts for those who only seek to serve God in this church, to live a faithful life according to the that perceived will of God.

“A very merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear”


We pray especially that the Light Perpetual will shine upon Benazir Bhutto and that hope of love and peace will be kindled in all of those who love her. We pray for all those who have died, who have been maimed both physically and emotionally by senseless war. We pray most especially for those who hate in the name of God. We pray for the powers who be that they might finally understand that the war is truly over when we want it to be over.
“War is over if you want it
War is over now


So this is Christmas. And what have we done to promote the miracle of Love? May we all begin to pray for that one miracle.

Thanks be to John Lennon and Yoko Ono for the Lyrics of War is Over (aka So This is Christmas) and to the writer of the New Testament reading for today from Matthew 18:1-14.

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