Joyful and triumphant
O come ye, o come ye to Bethlehem
Come and behold Him
Born the King of Angels
O come let us adore Him
O come let us adore Him
Christ, the Lord
O come all ye faithful
Come let us adore Him
O come all ye faithful
Come let us adore Him
~ O Come Let Us Adore Him,
Song by Hillsong Worship
Under the brightest star in the nightly sky, in the sweetness of a manger with the animals, surrounded by the love and warmth of his family, and in the loving arms of his mother, a child was born; a child who grew up to become the greatest teacher of love, of the power of love and the power of the purity and innocence of the human heart.
Jesus Christ, as a man, of human flesh and skin, not merely as a God, revolutionized the spirit. He came upon earth, married of the kiss between flesh and heavens, to show us, remind us and awaken within us, what love looks like – what compassion looks like, what tenderness looks like, what forgiveness looks like, what generosity looks like, what grace looks like. To remind us what it means to be human and humane, to inspire us to be better people, and reach our hands beyond the lines that divide us; and then to sit, listen and learn. To remind us how love shapes and becomes through our every day lips, hands and ordinary gestures along the circling staircases of life. To remind us that the path to God is only through our hearts, for it is an inner pathway.
Because love is a seed of God. A blessed sacred seed within you, which may be nurtured and nourished within the church of skin, within the home of your heart, to hopefully blossom and become the warm loving shelter for all, lighting their own pathways also.
Because love is like bread – it needs to be made and remade each morning, each day, made anew.
Every living thing is a blessing, every person, child is a blessing, and you are a blessing. You are the answered prayer of your mother, of your father, of your grandparents and great grandparents, of your children, both current and future children; you’re the prayer of the stars and heavens, and all your little stars within – your cells that came together for a mutual decision to say yes, to you, yes, to life, so that you are born. So that you have hands to hold another’s hand, ears to hear the laughter of your loved ones, nose to smell the roses, and lips to speak love. And when we speak love, of the purity of our heart, we embody angels on earth, and all seen and unseen rejoices in beauty and light.
You’re the answered prayer of the stranger you pass by whom you offer your smile, the answered prayer of the tiny animal you kneeled to help, and the answered prayer of all those you support along your way, no matter how small the gesture may have been – to them, it might have made their day. May we never forget the big impacts we can make just by being better human beings, more intentional, more generous, more compassionate, more kind. May we be the heart love dreams of.
Wishing you many blessings, love and peace to you and your family for this season and year ahead. Love each other, care for each other, support one another. Love and family are all that really matters.
Merry Christmas!
With love + peace,
Lubomira
Cover art: Natività, by Carlo Maratta, 1650, via Wikimedia Commons.