If I take the wings of
the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand
shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me…. Even the darkness is not
dark to you; the night is bright as the day; for darkness is as light with you.
– Psalm 139:9-12
My kids and I were blessed to see A Christmas Carol yesterday, performed in the intimate San Jose
Repertory Theater. I could see this production every Christmas and never get tired
of it! It isn’t hugely fancy, but it beautifully presents Dickens’ themes of
redemption and the true meaning of Christmas, without allowing an ounce of
political correctness to cramp its style. Reflecting Dickens’ title, the
performance was peppered with traditional Christmas carols that
unapologetically proclaimed the true meaning of Christmas: Christ is born, and
that changes everything.
Did you know that you can celebrate Christmas with only two
pieces of wood, a match, and a prayer? In a cold, dark corner you can light a
candle, sing a hymn, and experience the real meaning of Christmas. You can
celebrate Christmas in a run-down apartment, on a raging ocean, in a refugee
camp, in a basement; or in a brightly lit mansion, a family cabin in the woods,
a European palace. In company or alone, wealthy or destitute, you can celebrate
Christmas. The only place you can’t celebrate Christmas is in a heart that is
closed to God’s love. And love pursues us, even there.
Christmas triumphs on the outer reaches of trouble and suffering.
At the storm front, where the fierce winds of this world’s sorrows blow
strongest, Christmas can actually be the sweetest.
Wherever you are, whatever’s happening in your life, Merry
Christmas! And God bless us all.
No comments:
Post a Comment