Ringing out the old, ringing in the new . . .
Many of us have been busy this week, tying up loose ends as the old year ends, planning parties to ring in the New Year. The holiday decorations are beginning to look a bit tarnished, and they will soon, for most of us, be safely tucked away until next year. Throughout the seasons of Advent and Christmas I have read once again from Ann Weems’ work entitled Kneeling in Bethlehem. As we go forward into the new year and as those in church planning look towards the coming of Lent and Easter, I have found this poem to be most fitting. May it help to guide us in the days ahead.
If there is no cross in the manger,
There is no Christmas.
If the Babe doesn’t become the Adult,
There is no Bethlehem star.
If there is no commitment in us,
There are no Wise Men searching.
If we offer no cup of cold water,
There is no gold, no frankincense, no myrrh.
If there is no praising God’s name,
There are no angels singing.
If there is no spirit of alleluia,
There are no shepherds watching.
If there is no standing up, no speaking out, no risk,
There is no Herod, no flight into Egypt.
If there is no room in our inn,
Then “Merry Christmas” mocks the Christ Child,
And the Holy Family is just a holiday card,
And God will loathe our feasts and festivals.
For if there is no reconciliation,
We cannot call Christ “Prince of Peace.”
If there is no goodwill toward others,
It can all be packed away in boxes for another year.
If there is no forgiveness in us,
There is no cause for celebration.
If we cannot go now even unto Golgotha,
There is no Christmas in us.
If Christmas is not now,
If Christ is not born into the everyday present,
Then what is all the noise about?
