036 | A New Day
It’s Christmas Day. I am grateful for this new day—this day when we celebrate the radical imagination of God as “the Word became flesh and lived among us (John 1:14).” This is the reason why, in the face of yesterday’s melancholy, I still had and have hope.
My hope is perhaps best described in the words of Madeleine L’Engle, words that haven’t lost their power for me over 18+ years of ministry.
𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴
𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺,
𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭...𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦.
𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺,
𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦.
𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦.
𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵.
𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘦,
𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘦. 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵
𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘦. 𝘐𝘯 𝘫𝘰𝘺 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦
𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘶𝘣𝘵.
𝘛𝘰 𝘢 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦,
𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘎𝘰𝘥’𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘨𝘰 𝘰𝘶𝘵.
𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘩,
𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦𝘴, 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘯.
𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘍𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘩
𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘯.
𝘞𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘦
𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘫𝘰𝘺𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦,
𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘧, 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯,
𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦: 𝘙𝘦𝘫𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦! 𝘙𝘦𝘫𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦!
What word or phrase speaks to you today?
What gives you hope?
