Christmas... not that long ago...

OUR HEARTS — our spirits — wait for the coming of the Christ child. We have worked hard during this Advent season to listen to God’s voice, to turn over our fears and worries, to make a place in all the chaos to be able to welcome God into our lives and hearts. During these last days of Advent, we continue to wait. May these final days include times of quiet. Open wide the door to our hearts. Let there be spaces, silences, and open places. Let us give ourselves the gift of time.
- Beth A. RichardsonChild of the Light: Walking through Advent and Christmas
From p. 75 of Child of the Light by Beth A. Richardson. Copyright © 2005 by the author. Published by Upper Room Books. All Rights Reserved



see also my notes on Advent Silence on my sermon link

It was a time like this,
War & tumult of war,
a horror in the air.
Hungry yawned the abyss –
and yet there came the star
and the child most wonderfully there.
It was time like this
of fear & lust for power,
license & greed and blight –
and yet the Prince of bliss
came into the darkest hour
in quiet & silent light.
And in a time like this
how celebrate his birth
when all things fall apart?
Ah! wonderful it is
with no room on the earth
the stable is our heart.
– from Winter Song: Christmas Readings
by Madeleine L’Engle and Luci Shaw

thnks to LH over on Next Reformation