During these past days of Christmas I’ve been conscious of the state of poverty to which God has lowered himself. In Jesus Christ, God has plunged down into the depths of our misery and brokenness to be in solidarity with us and to enable us to transcend it. This is the mystery of Bethlehem. And what has helped me enter into it is the busy-ness of this season. While it is a time of joy, I’m sensing a kind of melancholy and emptiness. Even though I’m surrounded by family, I am aware of the loneliness that so often comes with having a physical disability such as mine. And so I am comforted by the realization that I am not alone in this state of poverty… that God assumed the nature of a helpless infant lying in a feeding trough surrounded by stinky animals in cold damp cave. It’s the tears of the Child that move me the most. He accompanies us in our misery and weeps with us. For so many around the world  the entry point for Christmas this year has been suffering. But the Light shines in that cave and the darkness cannot overcome it. The Christmas lights that linger on hint at that.

Jesus comes to me as one who is poor. I have nothing to offer him but my poverty. In his drawing near to me may I draw near to him throughout this new year.

May everybody reading this have a happy, bright 2015. Peace.

(I hope to get back to writing a new post at least once a week)