Day 35—Saturday, January 3

Because of the tender mercy of our God,
With which the Sunrise from on high will visit us,
To shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,
To guide our feet into the way of peace.
Luke 1:78-79

Christmastide Sonnet 2: On the Edge
By Malcolm Guite

Christmas sets the centre on the edge;
The edge of town, out-buildings of an inn,
The fringe of empire, far from privilege
And power, on the edge and outer spin
Of turning worlds, a margin of small stars
That edge a galaxy itself light years
From some unguessed-at cosmic origin.
Christmas sets the centre at the edge.
And from this day our world is re-aligned;
A tiny seed unfolding in the womb
Becomes the source from which we all unfold
And flower into being. We are healed,
The End begins, the tomb becomes a womb,
For now in him all things are re-aligned.

RECONCILIATION AND PEACE

It’s far beyond ironic that the Prince of Peace was born into one of the most historically and currently violent and segregated regions of the world. Bethlehem today seems a glaring contradiction to the power and purpose of the Messiah – where is the peace and reconciliation He modeled and promised? But it also provides a striking backdrop for reflecting on what that power and purpose really mean.

“My kingdom is not of this world,” Jesus said. On the one hand this seems obvious: He came into this world through a grotto and was laid first in a feed trough; He grew up among a fringe group of Semitic monotheists and said things like, “unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you;” and He exited in utter humiliation on public display as a false prophet on a bloody cross. Christ’s followers have come to see this differently in light of His resurrection, but to others it looks ridiculous.  

Yet on the other hand, worldly kingdoms have been claiming Christ’s name for centuries. They’ve interpreted His life and teachings to justify their ambitions, in ways both obviously abhorrent and deceptively subtle. Oppression, enmity, and falsehood persist and even thrive under the dominion of such kingdoms. Though the very words of Christ may be on their lips, the power of Christ is absent from them. 

That’s because Christ’s power is characterized by radical humility, suffering, and unconditional, sacrificial love. And that’s simply outside of the world’s logic. It’s also humanity’s only hope. This is the way that Christ took when he wrought the greatest act of reconciliation imaginable – humanity to God. And it’s the way we are to follow in reconciling with our neighbors.

Yet here we are in 2015, and violence and oppression haven’t gone anywhere. I know of no better response to the tension than the “now but not yet” understanding of Christ’s Kingdom. He’s reconciled us to our Father and taught us how to reconcile with each other, but we await the full and final manifestation of these realities in Christ’s return. Until then, the way of the world rages on. The contrast of the extreme violence and oppression in the land that physically beheld the Prince of Peace is a reminder to me of the stark contrast between the kingdom of the world and the kingdom of God. Our part is to imitate the radically alternative way of our King, and to hope.

Grant us to look with your eyes of compassion,
O merciful God, at the long travail of humankind:
the wars, the hungry millions, 
the countless refugees,
the natural disasters,
the cruel and needless deaths,
humanity’s inhumanity to one another,
the heartbreak and hopelessness of so many lives.
Hasten the coming of the messianic age
when the nations shall be at peace,
and people shall live free from fear and free from want
and there shall be no more pain or tears,
in the security of your will,
the assurance of your love,
the coming of your Kingdom,
O God of righteousness, O Lord of compassion.
Amen.

(Prayer written by George Appleton, Former Archbishop of Jerusalem, where he worked to promote reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians. Edited for gender inclusivity.)

Paul Rheingans, Institute for Spiritual Formation

Guite, Malcolm. "Christmastide Sonnet 2: On the Edge." Sounding the Seasons: Seventy Sonnets for the Christian Year. Norwich: Canterbury, 2012. 15.