Seeking Hope

What do I want for Christmas?
I want to kneel in Bethlehem,
   the air thick with alleluias,
      the angels singing
         that God is born among us.
In the light of the Star,
   I want to see them come,
      the wise ones and the humble.
I want to see them come
    bearing whatever they treasure
       to lay at the feet
            of him who gives his life.
What do I want for Christmas?
To see in that stable
   the whole world kneeling in thanks
       for a promise kept:
           new life.
For in this nativity
   we find ours.
~ Ann Weems from Kneeling in Bethlehem​

Sunday, December 11, 2022

​The house where my sisters and I grew up, was perfect for Christmas mornings. From the second floor there was a staircase down to a landing, then around the landing’s corner to five more steps leading down into the living room. On those early mornings, sitting between Claud and Bets, we’d listen hard to what was happening downstairs by the Christmas tree. I remember barely being able to contain my excitement. Those precious moments embodied all the wonder and energy held in anticipation. When I hold those memory snapshots of Christmas mornings-past, my spirit can re-connect with that most life-bringing feeling of hope. Right before we three tore down the stairs and whipped around the landing and bound toward the tree…those moments held all of it ... Anticipation. Expectation. Hope.
 
There is a joy that spans the generations during this holiday season. For each age there seem to be particular mile markers. Each age has common language and behaviors. Waiting up for Santa then I’ve still got gifts to wrap then Do you remember that Christmas when we…? As I have been moving from generation to generation, I am finding myself reminiscing a lot this Christmas. And what comes with the rememberings is tears. Lots and lots of tears. I’ve known about these tears for as long as I can remember. I watched my grandmothers cry and then watched my mother and now I am crying. And many of the tears overflow with faith, hope and love. Watching these generational practices and hearing their familiar words and songs bring the ah ha’s for me only found in these precious December days.
 
What are you hoping for this Christmas? Have you thought much about it? Do you have practices and words for welcoming it? Is there room for hope inside you with all the busyness of these days?
 
Ann Weems’ images of what hope looks like speak to my heart. Like Ann, I also long to hear the air thick with alleluias. I long to glimpse an angel or two. My spirit is yearning for wise and humble ones gathered side-by-side, waiting, and looking in the same direction. From villages and townships in Ukraine to neighborhoods in Gaza and the West Bank; from Sanibel Island to the Capitol Rotunda all of God’s children are whispering prayers during these holy-days for new life.
 
Prayer
(a couple lines from John O’Donohue’s “For Presence”)
Take time to celebrate the quiet miracles that seek no attention. Be consoled in the secret symmetry of your soul. May you experience each day as a sacred gift woven around the heart of wonder. Amen.

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