A Christmas Message

God’s blessings be with you on this Christmas Day.

Our Advent journey has ended, and we now begin the Twelve Days of Christmas, which lead us to Epiphany. Perhaps your true love did not give you a partridge in a pear tree, but my hope is that this day finds you surrounded by good food, thoughtful gifts, and moments of shared joy.

The birth narrative in the Gospel of Luke is one of my favorite passages of Scripture. Whether it should be taken literally or understood more poetically has long been debated. What is clear is that across the centuries the Church has often romanticized and sanitized the story of Jesus’ birth. Even so, I am always drawn back to this simple and startling truth. God came to us as an infant. Is there anything more helpless than a human baby?

I will admit that I am not much of a baby person. That wobbly head makes me nervous. I am always afraid that I will do something wrong or drop the baby. Yet this is how the Savior first came into the world. A newborn who had to be fed, changed, and protected, just like every other child. God trusted human beings to nurture and care for the Babe of Bethlehem, the one who would one day change the world. What a responsibility.

A hymn I particularly love puts it this way:
Our Savior’s infant cries were heard
And met by human love
Before He preached one saving word
Or prayed to God above.
By trusting Christ to human care
God blessed forevermore
The care of children everywhere,
The bruised, the lost, the poor.

When I speak of children, I mean more than age alone. I mean all of humanity, especially the young, the weak, and the powerless. Just as Mary and Joseph cared for the infant Jesus, the Church is called to care for those entrusted to us. In a society where empathy and compassion are often treated as weakness, we are called to deepen our care for those in need. Jesus tells us that when we care for someone who is hurting, we are caring for him.

As we move into a new year, may we commit ourselves anew to standing with the Christ we encounter in those around us, especially those most easily overlooked.

Amen.

Thank you for taking time to reflect on the meaning of this season.
+Kevin