LASTING HOPE, JOY, PEACE AND LOVE

John Ross Thompson – November 28, 2007

The spiritual message of Christmas is impossible to put into words, but it is something we can know. The miracle of Incarnation (from the Latin “into flesh”) is the recognition that the divine enters earth, that God becomes human, that heaven and earth meet.

We know Christmas is for real when our spirits are pricked with hope, joy, peace, and love. Unlike the sweet facsimiles that we see around us at a holiday time like this, God-given hope, joy, peace and love live deep within us. They are more real than the tangible things we can touch and see.

Each year, I find Incarnation more mysterious, and also more real. When the infinite meets the human, all of life takes on depth and meaning. The ordinary is more colorful. Relationships are more precious. Temporary setbacks, including illness and stress, are put into perspective.

Incarnation means that what is eternal cares for what is human. The two cannot be separated. What our forebears knew centuries ago is also true for us.

Christmas Eve for those of us in the church is the climax of the season. I see families together despite strained relationships and differing beliefs during the year. There is a glow in children that is rekindled in those of us who have seen many Christmases.

For an evening at least, we catch sight of the hope that has been passed on from generation to generation. Joy swells up in us, coming from within. Peace once again seems possible. Love tears down walls that we have permitted to grow between us.

As one Christmas song puts it, “It’s not the things we do at Christmas, but the Christmas things we do all year through.” We realize more at Christmas how close God is to earth. It is therefore our task to remember this all year, and to act toward others the same way we do at Christmas.

May the God who brings lasting hope, joy, peace and love spark within you a fire that burns in every part of your life. Merry Christmas!