This is the story of the light who came into the world.
The light who comes still.
Merry Christmas my fellow hearkeners.
I invite you to close your eyes,
Take a breath,
And listen.
The beginning of the story.
Before there were stars to guide travelers,
Before rivers learned their way to the sea,
Before the very first breath was ever drawn,
There was the word.
The word was with creators that's free.
And the word was the creator's own voice,
Alive,
Moving,
Full of power.
All things came to be through this word,
Life flowed from it like a river.
And that life became light for all peoples.
The light shone in the darkness,
And the darkness could not swallow it,
Could not understand it,
Could not overcome it.
The promise takes shape.
In the days when the people waited under heavy rule,
The Great Spirit sent a messenger to a young woman named Bitter Tears.
She lived quietly,
Her life small in the eyes of the world,
Yet precious in the eyes of the creator.
The messenger said,
Do not be afraid,
The Great Spirit has seen you with kindness.
You will carry a child.
This child will be called the Chosen One,
The Son of the Most High.
Bitter Tears wondered how such a thing could be,
And the messenger said,
The breath of Great Spirit will come upon you.
This child will be holy,
Set apart,
A gift to the people.
Bitter Tears placed her life into the hands of the creator and said yes and amen.
He gives sons who is engaged to be married to Bitter Tears was also visited for him in a dream.
When fear rose in him,
The Great Spirit spoke gently,
Do not be afraid to take Bitter Tears as your wife.
This child is from the breath of creator.
He will be named Yeshua,
Which means creator sets free,
For he will carry the people toward healing.
The child is born.
At that time,
Bitter Tears and he gives sons traveled to the town of their ancestors,
The house of bread.
There was no room for them,
No place made ready.
And so,
A child was born among the animals,
Laid in a feeding trough,
Wrapped not in silk or luxurious gowns or power,
But in humility.
That same night,
Beyond the edge of town,
Shepherds kept watch over their flocks.
They were people of the margins,
Listening for wolves,
Reading the wind,
Sleeping lightly beneath the open sky.
And suddenly,
The night was split open,
Light spilled across the fields,
Not in the harsh light of fire,
But in a living brightness,
Warm and terrible and beautiful all at once.
Fear took hold of them,
But the messenger spoke gently saying,
Do not be afraid,
I bring you good news,
Good news that will bring deep joy to all the people.
Today,
In the town of your ancestors,
A child has been born.
This child will bring healing.
This child will set all things right.
Then the sky itself seemed to breathe,
Voices joined the messenger,
Not shouting but rising like a great chorus,
Honor to the creator above and peace on earth below.
When the sky grew quiet again,
The shepherds looked at one another and said,
Let us go and see this thing the creator has shown us.
They went quickly,
They found the child,
Small,
Vulnerable,
Lying where animals fed.
And they knew.
They returned to their fields changed,
Telling everyone what they had seen and heard,
Their voices carrying awe and wonder,
Their steps lighter than before.
They returned to their fields forever changed,
The dream and the journey.
Later wise ones from the east watched the sky.
They studied the stars as elders study stories,
Listening for meaning,
Reading signs written in light.
When a new star rose,
They knew it was no accident.
A child had been born,
A child whose life would bend the world toward hope.
They set out on a long journey,
Crossing borders and deserts,
Following the light step by step,
Trusting where it led.
They brought gifts fit for a king,
Gold for honor,
Sweet incense for prayer,
And a healing balm,
A telling of suffering that love itself would one day carry.
But not all welcomed the light,
Humbled,
Fear sharpened its teeth,
And once again the Great Spirit spoke in dreams,
Guiding the family away,
Protecting the child,
Walking them through danger and exile.
The Word comes near.
And so the Word became flesh,
The light took on skin and breath,
The Creator did not remain distant.
The Word pitched a tent among the people,
Dwelling close,
Sharing meals,
Tears,
Laughter,
Dusty roads.
Those who had eyes to see beheld this glory.
Those who have eyes to see beheld this glory,
Full of kindness,
Full of truth.
From this fullness,
Grace upon grace has been given.
The light has come into the world.
And still the light comes,
Born into humble places,
Born into weary hearts,
Born wherever love makes room,
Speaking in dreams and stars.
The light has come into the world.
And still the light comes,
Speaking in dreams and stars.
So take another breath.
May the light find you,
May peace rest upon you,
And may the Word still dwell among us.
Merry Christmas,
My fellow Hearkeners.
May grace and peace,
Light and love,
Be with you.
