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?⁣ ⁣