A Christmas Meditation

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Were you there when he first breathed in this world?
Were you there when he first breathed in this world?
Oh, sometimes, it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when he first breathed in this world?
Maybe you were one of the shepherds, eking out a life when that good news of great joy flew from the voices of angels; a shepherd knowing a quiet desperation, invisible, seen as lesser-than in society, feeling excluded, longing for belonging, perennially kept on the outside looking in, then welcomed in to the story of God.
Maybe you were one of the magi, those wise ones from afar, on a journey elsewhere but pining for a home you left behind; a magi, a vagabond void of magic going into the great unknown, presumed to have all answers but really just rich with questions and thirsting for truth, then, once at his feet, in his face, you experienced the truth of love.
Maybe you were Joseph, a working man, a common man, not sure of what to do, where to go, how to fit into the story but knowing you needed to be there and as supportive as possible. Maybe you were Joseph a mere carpenter tasked with the impossible, step-fathering a king, parenting humanity and divinity rolled into one, staying humble through it all.
Maybe you were Mary, as close to God as a mother to a baby in her womb. Maybe you were Mary, enduring the pain of birthing life and experiencing the divine life born to you. Maybe you were Mary, uplifted by a grace that gave you breath, the breath you breathed, the love of God you carried close to your heart, the reality you pondered.
If you weren’t there then, you can be now.
For unto you this day is born a Savior.
He waits for you to come to the cradle and peer into his face. He waits for you to give the gift of making it there to show care and compassion. He waits for you to let go of the questions and rest in his mere presence.
Everyday is Christmas day, or at least it can be.
Be born in us, our Lord Emmanuel.

 

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