"Dream of the Rood" is one of the oldest pieces of Old English literature. The author is unknown, but it is speculated to have been written between 600-800 AD. It is a poem written about a man who in a dream, has a conversation with the Cross that Jesus Christ was crucified upon. The Cross recounts the day. Before, he was a tree- alive and rooted in the ground. Then came the anger of the people, chopping him up, readying him to be the place of death for Jesus. He describes the pain of the nails being driven through Christ's hands, piercing the wood, and the blood that spilled out of Jesus, staining him. He remembers how valiant The Kind of Kings was. He remembers how he knew he must stand tall, strong and sure. He did this when he was a tree, so he knew how, but now he had a purpose for doing so.
Christmas day, a celebration of Jesus's birth. The beginning of the Sacred Life that will save us all through His Sacrificial Death.
As we sit around our Christmas trees this season may we be reminded of what is to come… A tree will become a Cross, and a baby, a Savior. May we live our new purpose, walk in the way of the Lord, and be a vessel for Faith, Hope and Love.
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Psalm 30:5
Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.
For many, the hustle and bustle of the holidays is due to frantically completing the Christmas shopping, cooking holiday meals, making calls back and forth to family and friends concerning traveling and party arrangements- all building up to that joyous moment that your child screams in delight because he or she got "the toy" they really wanted. Or you finally get to spend the day relaxing and sharing a feast with family you haven't or friends you haven't seen all year. For some however, it is not the case.
Last December, a just a few days before Christmas, a co-worker of mine lost her 8-year old little girl due to heart problems. This December my cousin's 9 month old baby had a stroke, indirectly caused by a virus that as I write, persists, leaving them in the hospital for Thanksgiving and possibly Christmas. This past Wednesday a co-worker lost her best friend to suicide. Thursday, a different co-worker came home to find her husband on the floor, unresponsive, his spirit already Home to the Lord. December holds much weeping.
The busy rush of December for me has been making food for my friends who are in the midst of mourning. Going back and forth to Children's Hospital in Dallas to hold my cousin's hand. Listening to my co-worker recount the last conversation she had with her friend the hour before he pulled the trigger. December holds much weeping.
The faces I see before me are frantic with worry of illness, pain of loss, and fear for the soul. Then out of the mouth of these faces comes the question, "Why?"
Why… why… why? How am I supposed to answer this question?
The only thing I have been able to come up with is, "I don't know." As I listened to the painful cries and questions of my co-worker until the wee hours of Thursday morning, I prayed. I prayed for guidance. For words of wisdom, comfort and love. It was awkward as I waited. I asked God, "what am I doing here?" and "what am I supposed to say?!" I didn't think I was doing any good. Finally, it came.
I told her that God saw all things, good and bad. Though taking one's own life may be a sin, God saw the suffering of depression that led up to it. I recalled and paraphrased the footprints story. "You remember, the Lord and some guy were walking along the beach, leaving two sets of footprints in the sand. Then something happened and the guy turned around to see only one set of footprints. He was like… 'Hey wait a second… Lord… why is there only one set of footprints? I thought you were walking right beside me always?' and the Lord said something to him like, 'Yeah, I was… then you fell, and so I carried you.'"
Though my account of the footprints story was severely watered-down, the picture came across. That God sent His Son to heal all of our suffering and cover every sin. To carry us in our weakest moments, in our worry, our pain, and fear... to an everlasting life of joy in the Kingdom of Heaven.
On the night before Jesus's birth, Mary and Joseph probably experienced worry, pain, and fear. What was to come? But then, a star appeared. A bright light, like morning! Jesus was born! It was a time to rejoice! The darkness was pushed away by the Star of Bethleham and like a beacon, shone! Jesus Christ is born! Worry, pain and fear were replaced with hope, joy, happiness.
Psalm 30:5
Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.
Pray, Lord...
As the darker elements of life- fear, worry, loneliness, pain, anger, sickness, and death reoccur, so does the light- hope, joy, and happiness because of the birth of Jesus. May Christmas be a light in the midst of darkness. Warmth and comfort during the onset of the winter season. And remind us of the love God has for us, and because of this love, sent us the gift of Christ, and through him, eternal life in Heaven.
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