Faith

Wherever and however we find ourselves this Christmas, in the songs of Christmas, we will hear the Lord call out once again to all those in need of healing and hope.

Friday, December 20, 2024Faith

More than 20 years ago, I found myself in the pediatric outpatient clinic of a hospital two days before Christmas. The youngest member of my family was there for chemotherapy. At two years of age, he was suffering from leukemia. The doctors, nurses, and staff there were people of great skill and deep compassion. As they worked for the children in their care, they were true healers of body and spirit. Even so, it was a hard place and a hard time in the life of my family.
On that day and in that setting, surrounded by the sights and sounds of hospital and illness, the joyful message of Christmas felt far away. At one point, there was a commotion by the nurse's station as a group of high school students arrived with musical instruments and began to play Christmas carols. Hearing the unexpected sound, parents carried little ones out of their rooms and people gathered. "God rest ye merry gentlemen . . .," "The first Noel . . .," "O come all ye faithful . . .," the instrumental music filled the hall, and the words filled our hearts and minds. In those few minutes, beauty eased the pain. In the florescent darkness, another light shone. The consoling, transforming, life-giving proclamation of Christmas arrived where it was needed most.

My favorite Christmas passage is the Prologue from John's Gospel, read on Christmas Day. While the passage does not speak of the details of Jesus' birth, it does reflect upon the meaning of the birth. These verses sum up the meaning of the Lord's coming in beautiful poetic language. John celebrates the exalted status of the one born and the stunning nature of the gift offered -- God's own Word made flesh. To know this source of true light is to be transformed. John understands that the events of Jesus' life are not to be remembered but lived. We are invited to believe and become children of God. We can take up our role in the story -- that of testifying to the light that touched the world in Bethlehem long ago and touches our hearts as we come to know, love, and be loved by the Lord Jesus.
Be sure to sing the Christmas carols. In their beautiful melodies and words, the message of Christ's birth penetrates the deepest despair, the hardest of hearts. They are joy and hope and healing and grace. At Christmas, many will be away from home and family. Some must work night shifts to support those they love. Others will work the night in a patrol car or firehouse or emergency room. Others may find themselves on guard in a foreign land. Still others suffer loss, loneliness, or illness. Perhaps you will celebrate Christmas surrounded by loved ones in a warm home and sitting down to a feast. Wherever and however we find ourselves this Christmas, in the songs of Christmas, we will hear the Lord call out once again to all those in need of healing and hope.
I will never forget the swell of emotion that I experienced those many years ago, overwhelmed by the beauty and joy of Christmas in the darkest of moments. I will always be grateful to those young people for offering that simple gift of beauty in their music. On that day, they went beyond the mere notes for, in their kindness, they became the carols they played.
So here is my Christmas wish: that we sing the carol, that we hear the carol, and that we become the carol. On the day when we celebrate His birth, we can be born anew with Him as children of the light and live His love.
A Merry Christmas to you and yours!

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