The Joy Of God’s Presence
As Christmas draws near I hear a plea
"BRING CHRIST BACK INTO CHRISTMAS."
Plaques read: "JESUS IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON"
What is my reaction to these messages?
Where do I find Jesus, Mary, Joseph?
How do I bring them back into my everyday life
and that of others?
How do I convey the message: All are alive and well?
I see Mary after receiving the message from the angel
making haste to visit her cousin Elizabeth.
Have I visited someone in need recently, either
personally, by phone or correspondence?
I watch Joseph, a just and honest man.
He brings me to question:
Do I treat others in an honest and just manner?
Where do I find Jesus?
"You will find the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes
and lying in a manger" (Luke 2:8)
This was the message the shepherd; the societal outcasts
doing their nightly chores heard from the angels.
As I am going about my daily chores, my ministry
What is the message that I hear?
How do I respond?
"When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning
what had been told them about this child" (Luke 2:8-20)
With whom do I share the word of God?
What sentiments arise in me as I find a person wrapped
in a sleeping bag on the street because there is no place
in the shelter?
I look to the darkened sky and recall how the Magi
found Jesus: "They went on their way, and the star
they had seen in the east went ahead of them until
it stood over the place where the Child was" (Matthew 2:10)
Where does the star in my heart lead me?
How do I open to others the treasures I carry within me?
The Magi returned to their country by another route.
When have I experienced God's presence so powerfully
that I have changed my ways of thinking or acting?
CHRISTMAS: A time of joy, praise, amazement, sharing, giving,
telling others, thoughtful meditation, transformation.
As I ponder the Christmas story once again, the Good News
is present in me:
"FOR UNTO US A CHILD IS BORN
UNTO US A SON IS GIVEN " (Isaiah 9:6)