Your world seems a bit darker this Christmas. But you were born in the
dark, right? You came at night. The shepherds were nightshift workers.
The Wise Men followed a star. Your first cries were heard in the
shadows. To see your face, Mary and Joseph needed a candle flame. It was
dark. Dark with Herod’s jealousy. Dark with Roman oppression. Dark with
poverty. Dark with violence. Herod went on a rampage, killing babies.
Joseph took you and your mom into Egypt. You were an immigrant before
you were a Nazarene. Oh, Lord Jesus, you entered the dark world of your
day. Won’t you enter ours? We are weary of bloodshed. We, like the wise
men, are looking for a star. We, like the shepherds, are kneeling at a
manger. This Christmas, we ask you, heal us, help us, be born anew in
us. - Max Lucado
