On the
socks friends gifted me for Christmas is boldly printed “I am here” with the
red marker seen in digital map apps. As soon as I saw them, I thought of
Christmas. For with the birth of Christ, God is saying, “I Am here.” “I Am here”
God declares and then goes on to say, “I want to be here, I desire to be here
and to be this close to you in your living, in your joys and sorrows, in your
hurts and healing. I am here because I love you so much, no matter what the
world tells you, I do. I am here and I see you, the true you that hides behind
cover stories. I see your heart and your desires. I see your heart and the hope
that it carries. I see your heart and the light which you illumine the world
with, even if you feel it doesn’t shine bright enough.”
“I Am here”
is the great gift of Christmas. Our God - Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9.6), Emmanuel - with us. Our God
one of us. Our God here and now. Yes, this Feast marks a specific birth day and
time in history but when we get past the wrappings, the demands and the false
expectations which now come with it, what remains? That God poured forth love
so great that we were given the greatest gift of “I Am here” in the person of
Jesus. Jesus, our brother born in the humble stable, adored by shepherds and
strangers from a far, cradled in a feed trough and gazed upon by creation. Our
brother the fullness of God proving “I Am here” and continuing the covenant of
love. Our brother who calls us to walk in the ways of honesty, love that is not
movie made, and to be bearers of good news and light.
The
good news and the light of the birth of Jesus is what we try and replicate in
our greetings, decorations, feasting and traditions. These are means for us to
enter into this great mystery. They must also call us to be witnesses of the
good news and light for those who are hurting, alone, seeking, lost and
abandoned. If we don’t bear Christ in the world this Christmas how will the “I
am here” marker be seen in our world? Like the map app voice which tells us to
continue for 7.5 kilometers and then turn in 600 meters, can we be the voice
guiding others to the Christ Child? Are we moving our marker and showing others
the spot to be with our “I Am here” God? Let us not forget that our life is
incorporated into the “I Am here” message and this is indeed good news of great
joy (Luke 2.10).
The mystic Caryll Houselander said: “Our rest in a world that is full of unrest is Christ’s trust in his Father; our peace in a world without peace is our surrender, complete as the surrender of the sleeping child to her mother, of the Christ in us, to God who is both Father and Mother.” The tiny child asleep in the manger, the tiny child asleep in his mother’s arms, the tiny child asleep in the ICU, the tiny child asleep in the makeshift tent, the tiny child asleep under a tree, the tiny child asleep in her bed does nothing else but proclaim: “I am here.” It is the invitation to trust, to surrender, to be, to know we are loved by Creator God. Will we be brave enough this Christmas to encounter the Christ Child and whisper back to God, “I am here”?
May the blessings of this season
allow for you to sit with the great gift of the great “I AM” being here and
always with us. May you find time to cradle the Child born for us. May you
trust that his Spirit is stirring up in you more good news and light to share
beyond this season into the days of 2022. May you know
that the “I Am here” God of Life keeps this promise…always.
Christmas Blessings.
Thank you for journeying with me over this past year.
Blessings in 2022 as we continue on this pilgrim path.
Regular posts will
resume in mid-January.
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