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The Soul Felt Its Worth

12/22/2022

3 Comments

 
Picture
“Oh holy night, the stars are brightly shining, 
it is the night of the dear Savior's birth. 
Long lay the world in sin and error pining, 
'til he appeared and the soul felt its worth.” 
​

Minuit Chrétien (O Holy Night), Lyrics by Placide Cappeau, Paraphrased by John S. Dwight 
​

O Holy Night has been my favorite Christmas carol for as long as I can remember. And yet, it was only this year that I noticed the line “the soul felt its worth.” What a powerful thought! The soul feels its worth when gazing upon the baby Jesus. The soul feels its worth when realizing that God chose to become vulnerable and small so that we could come close to God. The soul feels its worth when recognizing that God will do anything to help us see how profoundly loved we are. 
 
I think it is significant that God chose to come through Mary, who describes herself as lowly. Low in status and importance. In Mary’s famous song and prayer, the Magnificat, she exclaims: ​
“My soul proclaims your greatness, O God, 
and my spirit rejoices in you, my savior. 
For you have looked with favor 
upon your lowly servant, 
and from this day forward 
all generations will call me blessed. 
 
For you, the almighty, have done great things for me, 
and holy is your name. 
Your mercy reaches from age to age 
for those who fear you. 
 
You have shown strength with your arm;  
you have scattered the proud in their conceit; 
You have deposed the mighty from their thrones  
and raised the lowly to high places. 
You have filled the hungry with good things,  
while you have sent the rich away empty.”  
​

Luke 1:46-53 (The Inclusive Bible) 
Mary felt her worth when being asked to bring God into the world in the form of Jesus. And even more than that, Mary recognized that God choosing a woman from the social margins had significance for all of us. Every single one of us is worthy in the eyes of God. We are not worthy in the eyes of God because of our social status, wealth or power. We are not worthy because of our talents or our wisdom or our achievements. We are worthy simply because we are God’s beloved creation. We are worthy simply because God loves us. 
 
After choosing to come into the world through the “lowly” Mary, God invites the “lowly” shepherds to be the first eyewitnesses of the newborn baby. It’s a striking choice. It wasn’t the religious leaders or the political leaders who received the first invitation. It was the shepherds. The shepherds - who stood on the bottom rung of the social ladder of the time. The shepherds - who were considered second-class citizens - detestable and worthless and untrustworthy. 
“When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go straight to Bethlehem and see this event that God has made known to us.” They hurried and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Once they saw this, they reported what they had been told concerning the child. All who heard about it were astonished at the report given by the shepherds.” Luke 2:15-18 (The Inclusive Bible)
The shepherds felt their worth at being honored with the first invitation to behold the Christ child. They hurried to gaze upon the baby lying in the manger. That gazing upon Jesus was a form of prayer. And that gazing upon Jesus changed them forever. Emmanuel! God is with us! After being profoundly moved by gazing upon the God who came close, the shepherds went and spread the good news to everyone they knew. And all were astonished. Perhaps astonished because God had come in the form of a baby. Or perhaps astonished because they were hearing the news from the “lowly” shepherds. 
 
My prayer for each of us this Christmas is that our gazing upon the nativity scene would be a prayer that changes us forever. That as we gaze, we would see that God longs for us to feel our worth. That as we gaze, we would recognize we are deeply loved by God. And that as we gaze, our souls would feel their worth. ​
​By Katie Reimer, Executive Director, WDPIC 
3 Comments

A Messiah is Born

12/19/2022

6 Comments

 
Picture
Madonna and Child in Lily Field, by Patricia Brintle (patriciabrintle.com), Used by permission
It is a great joy to share my first Christmas message with you.  
​

We are still dealing with the difficulties of a post COVID era. Businesses are struggling to regain what was lost. People are dealing with the loss of their loved ones. We are all still adjusting to the new normal. Despite all of this, as Christians, we believe that hope is not lost. The Prophet Isaiah declared:  

For to us a child is born, 
to us a son is given, 
and the government will be on his shoulders. 
And he will be called 
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, 
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 
​
The prophecy was fulfilled when the Messiah was born in the little town of Bethlehem. The angels announced it to the shepherds and a bright shining star led the three wise men to visit and give their gifts.  

Today we join in celebrating the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, but a critical question remains for us to answer: What does the birth of Christ mean to us as Christians in these trying times?  

I dare say that the birth of Christ gives us hope that God has come and will solve the problems that are impossible for us. The birth of Christ assures us that God will give us liberation from all forms of oppression - mental, physical, emotional or psychological. All we need to do is to surrender to God’s wise counsel. As we open our hearts to receive Christ, we can sing with the angels in Luke 2:14:  

Glory to God in the highest heaven, 
    and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests. 
I wish you all a joyous Christmas and a very prosperous 2023. Join me in singing one of my favorite carols, as we come together to adore Jesus the Christ: 
O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant 
O come ye, o come ye to Bethlehem 
O come and behold Him, born the King of Angels 
O come, let us adore Him 
O come, let us adore Him 
O come, let us adore Him 
Christ the Lord 
By Joyce Larko Steiner, WDPIC Chairperson
6 Comments

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