Sending all my love to family and friends in California and around the world this Christmas Eve! Thinking of you all and missing you! Today in Buenos Aires it is a tad bit cooler in the low 90’s. But Christmas Day is forecasted to feel like 100. If you haven’t seen my top ten favorite things about a summertime Christmas in Buenos Aires, click here.
Yesterday Silas from our WMF office in Omaha sent this Christmas blessing and reflection from Henri Nouwen. I thought I would share it on my blog today.
A Christmas Blessing from Henri Nouwen
May the Child born today be the center of all your celebration
May He be the source of your joy
May the Child born today shine His light into the recesses
of your stress, sorrow, grief and despair
May He strengthen you and uphold you
May the Child born today dwell within you and go before you
May He shine out from deep within you
That you may be the visible sign of the Child born today
A Christmas Reflection from Nouwen, Christmas at Genesee Abbey
(An excerpt from Genesee Diary, Henri J.M. Nouwen)
I keep thinking about the Christmas scene that Anthony arranged under the altar. This probably is the most meaningful "crib" I have ever seen. Three small wood-carved figures made in India: a poor woman, a poor man, and a small child between them. The carving is simple, nearly primitive. No eyes, no ears, no mouths, just the contours of the faces. The figures are smaller than a human hand - nearly too small to attract attention at all.
But then - a beam of light shines on the three figures and projects large shadows on the wall of the sanctuary. That says it all. The light thrown on the smallness of Mary, Joseph, and the Child projects them as large, hopeful shadows against the walls of our life and our world.
While looking at the intimate scene we already see the first outlines of the majesty and glory they represent. While witnessing the most human of human events, I see the majesty of God appearing on the horizon of my existence. While being moved by the gentleness of these three people, I am already awed by the immense greatness of God's love appearing in my world. Without the radiant beam of light shining into the darkness there is little to be seen. I might just pass by these three simple people and continue to walk in darkness. But everything changes with the light.
Finally, today I posted a prayer liturgy for Christmas on the Prayers and Creeds blog. It is taken from the new prayer book, Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals by Shane Claiborne, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, Enuma Okoro (http://commonprayer.net/). This is a great prayer book for the new year!
To check out the Christmas prayer….click here.
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