Diocese of Lexington News & Events December 20, 2019 

The joyful sound of Christmas carols excites young and old alike. And so, it is rather surprising to learn that the tradition of carol singers going door to door is actually a result of them being banned in churches during medieval times. Many groups took the word carol literally (to sing and dance in a circle), which meant that the Christmas Mass was disrupted and so the Church decided to send the carol singers outside into the snow. 

Well, no matter the location, beautiful music and Christmas celebrations seem well matched. And the great heritage of Christmas songs and carols continues to stimulate modern composers who want to set these wonderful words to music. Some of you may know the 15th century carol 'A Spotless Rose' which begins: "And in the dark midnight, Amid the winter cold, A spotless Rose unfolds", which picks up the ancient tradition of describing Mary as a flower blossoming in the wintry harshness of human history.

But the crucial words come in the second verse: "For, through our God's great love and might, and in the dark midnight, amid the winter cold, the blesse'd Babe she bare." Because, despite the harsh conditions of our human existence, God's love is poured out in the making of this flower - Jesus - in the womb of Mary. Of whom, St Paul wrote, "in him all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily."

The story of Christmas is nothing less than God coming down from heaven to become one of us. This action stimulates both our wonder and worship. But what is even more astounding is that God does not overwhelm us with majesty and might, but comes to live life just as we live ours, as one of us. One who experiences our pain and suffering, our joy and delight. The Christmas message brings hope because we see God with us, choosing to empty himself of power and prestige and take on our limitations and temptations as an act of selfless love.

And we are called to do the same. Otherwise, we remain in prisons of our own making: It may be our wealth and security; it may be our ambition; or it may be that we do not see ourselves as worthy of love. All of these ideas push God and others away and we live in a place of "always winter but never Christmas." Instead, we need to shed our load of misguided notions and let God's "great love and might" enter the cold areas of our lives and give birth to faith, hope and love this Christmastide.

Once we make room for God to enter our lives, we find that there is also room enough for all of us - forgiven and welcomed - to belong as members of one family, singing one song: O come, O come Emmanuel.

May this Christmas birth in you, and all those you love, the flower of God's redeeming grace.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,

+Mark

[ 2] Colossians 2:9

[ 3] Lewis, C.S. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

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A NEW YEAR IN THE SPIRIT

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