This is Christmas

There is a place where love and tears meet and grace flows freely.

There is a place where weak are made strong and the strong are humbled into the place of weakness.  

There is a place where our very human experience is made sacred, holy, right.  

A place that exists because a baby entered into our darkness, a place where angels fought the darkness with their songs and announced the Christ child's birth.  

Yesterday, I saw a glimpse of this place, friends gathered to sing, singing songs about this Christ child to those weak, those humbled, those twisted and worn-out, to those precious and beautiful, to those created in the very image of God waiting to enter His presence, to those created in His image that haven't yet received His Son.

My tears flowed as I watched a 5 year-old friend smile and say Merry Christmas

a 10 year-old son sing earnestly, 

a 11 year-old son try to finding his footing in this sacred place,

11 year-old friend eagerly give good gifts,

13 year-old daughter sing like an angel, 

teenage friends stoop and gently touch the tired, the worn out whispering, "You are loved", 

adult friends saying, "You are not forgotten, I see you" 

and elderly friends stoop down and look directly into the eyes of the worn out, the twisted, the tired, the ready to leave this earth and say, "Your soul is not worn out, your soul has unimaginable worth" 

and my heart cried, "This is where love and tears meet, this is where grace flows freely, this is where the weak are made strong and the strong are humbled into the place of weakness...this is sacred, this is holy, this is right."

As we sang, "O Holy Night", I heard lyrics in a way I had never heard them before...

"'til he appeared and the soul felt its worth, 

a thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices"

This is what brings worth, its in the reaching, and stooping and touching one another.  This is the loving and the serving of one another. This is worship. This is Christmas.