The timing of the words of this powerful Christmas hymn with the scenes in the beautiful Nativity Story movie...is just so moving. Many of our non/anti-Christian contemporaries want to reinterpret Christmas in their own way, making it about family, joy, and generosity. These are secondary and incidental, and fall away in the presence of the real mystery. To the extent that your Christmas is not about the birth of the Christ child, the breaking in of the light of eternity into the darkness of sinful and otherwise-hopeless humanity, your Christmas suffers from a fatal poverty. Christmas is not about rational explanation, its not about the wonder of nature, its not about family. Its a light--THE light--entering our darkness, the Messiah and Son of God--Its the greatest gift in the history of Creation: the gift, from God, of life from death by his own Son, who will suffer selflessly, and give His life to save us from the damnation of our sins. This is why we give gifts...to enter into the joy of receiving the divine gift, the One Gift to Rule Them All, The gift that cannot be matched. The Joy and Hope that cannot be matched. The Holy Family that cannot be matched. Because they have the One Holy Almighty God as their source and meaning. Take away the heart of this celebration, and what you are celebrating is not Christmas. Youre doing Christmas like a cat, or a baby, more interested in the wrapping paper and the box, and uninterested in the valuable gift given within. Keep the gift--Christ--at the heart of your Christmas, and open the depths of your heart to the mystery of this night. Long lay the world in sin and error pining Till he appeard and the soul felt its worth. A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn! Fall on your knees! Oh hear the angel voices! Oh night divine Oh night when Christ was born Oh night divine!
Posted on: Mon, 22 Dec 2014 17:12:47 +0000
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