AS WINTER TURNS

As the year ends
As winter turns
So there is a new beginning
And the hope of spring
Where darkness turns to light
And the world explodes in colour
And so with Christmas
One moment on the timeline of history
One moment in history
Another mother in the pain of birth
The struggle, the hurt, the faltering breathing
The extremity of pain
Then the moment of relief
And excited joy
The hopes and dreams of the waiting fulfilled
And yet in that one moment
In that one birth
The lever of history swung
At that moment
The old world started dying
And the new world started coming on
At that moment the darkness already began to pass
And the true light began to shine

Lord may we live on this side of that watershed
May we live in hope
May we live in new beginnings
May we live in brightest light
May we live in hearts filling with forgiveness
May we live in minds filling with new perspectives
May we live lives of sacrificial reconciliation
May we live lives of changed relationships
May we live lives that reflect the truth of this one moment
The word became flesh and lived for a while among us.

Lord may we see Christmas everyday
But more importantly may Christmas see us
And may we be knocked breathless by its powerful glance.