People say
that we have banned God
Shut God out from our schools
Shut God out of Christmas
or is that Xmas
Pushed God to the side
to such a degree
that our culture
is God-less
Really?
I really didn't realize
that God was so small
I mean I know God came as a baby
one small and squalling
red and raw
But there was power in that smallness
power in that child
as there is power in all children
Power is a funny thing
what looks like power to us
is often not
oh there may be a kind of power
in bruality
in assault rifles
in attacking others with words
there may be a kind of power in money
and status
but Christmas shows a different kind of power
a power we barely understand
The baby of Christmas came into a world
that was often brutal
frequently deadly
Herod massacred children
It was a dark world
but then there was that baby
this baby came
this baby comes
it is still a dark world
the baby comes
to find our health is gone
our finances are precarious
our relationships as distant
our jobs are sucking us dry
It is a world of gloom and doom
children are massacred
but when the outer world is darkness
the baby comes
and brings to life
an inner world of transcendent love
this love which comes from God
and oozes from those who love God
this love
defies the hate
the fear
the darkness
it overcomes
all those things that seem so powerful
so scary so in control
And we are reminded
that God is big
really big
God cannot be shoved to the side
for whenever God is present
in a person's life
even in the life of a child
everything changes
Those who think God is banned from schools
just because ritualistic prayers have been banned
or that God is banned when people call a Christmas tree a Holiday tree
Those that think an act of horrific violence
by Herod
or by a disturbed young man
can remove God
Have underestimated
the power of God's love
Have missed the meaning of the baby
Have your self
my friends,
a defiant Christmas :)
No comments:
Post a Comment