Christmas, December 25: Isaiah 9:2-7; Titus 2:11-14; Luke 2:1-14(15-20); Psalm 96
When the angels show up for the shepherds, with “the glory of the Lord” shining around them, the shepherds were (rightly) terrified. Terror was the appropriate response to seeing the glory of the Lord. Moses felt it too, when he saw the burning bush.
We spend a great deal of time trying to make Christmas seem safe, to domesticate it: after all, there’s this little baby. But I wonder if part of what we are doing is hiding from the ways it is also terrifying, as important things often are. A child has been born to us, Isaiah tells us. Titus tells us that “the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all”. And then we have the shepherds. They were terrified, but had enough confidence in the angel to do what they were told. They saw the baby, and returned “glorifying and praising God”.
The arrival of the Christ child can be both, after all. It is humbling to think that God took the form of a baby. The vulnerability of a child is always terrifying. And if God is vulnerable this way, so are we. Loss is part of the experience of being human. People die, fire destroys homes, war destroys communities. There is no magic that will make everything fine. But Jesus as a baby who grows up to be one of us also means we are never alone in our suffering. God is always with us. For this we give praise and glorify God.
The love that brought Jesus into the world is for us, for everyone. May you experience the love of God from others, and share the love of God with all you encounter. And have a blessed Christmas!

The Nativity, by Giotto, Scrovegni Chapel, Padua
This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author’s life plus 100 years or fewer. It is in the public domain in the US.
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