Christmas Day
Readings:
Isaiah 52:7-10Psalm 98
Hebrews 1:1-4
John 1:1-14
“Glory be to God on high” by Charles Wesley (abridged)
Glory be to God on high,
And peace on earth descend;
God comes down: he bows the sky:
And shows himself our friend!
God th’ invisible appears,
God the blest, the great I AM
Sojourns in this vale of tears,
And Jesus is his name.
Him the angels all adored
Their Maker and their King:
Tidings of their humbled Lord
They now to mortals bring:
Emptied of his majesty,
Of his dazzling glories shorn,
Being’s source begins to be,
And God himself is BORN!
Reflection: For most of us, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day mean traditions with family that extend back for years, even decades. These traditions are important. They can help overcome wounds and hurts from the rest of the year. But they can also dull us to the great truth of Christmas: God himself is BORN! Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a member of the Confessing Church, which opposed Hitler in World War II, reminds us that "God is in the manger.” And Augustine, a far more ancient saint, tells us that the wood of the manger becomes the wood of the cross. Our sentimental celebrations could use a dose of this deeper truth.
Prayer: Help us never to forget that you, Lord God, are in the manger. You dwell with us in the places we least expect. Turn our eyes to where you are. Bend our knees to worship you. Amen.
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