Merry Christmas
A Short Greeting, a Poem, and Carolers from an Afghan Past
Merry Christmas. God came into the world because He loves you no matter your race, ethnicity, gender, what you identify as, immigration status, housing status, criminal record, age, stage of development, family situation, bank account size, or how many sins weigh on your soul. Let us love each other as He loves us, and journey to reciprocate His love.
My gift to you all is a poem. Christmas on the Edge by Macolm Guite captures the meaning of Christmas while capturing the science of the vastness of the universe and how Jesus’ birth set everything on its head.
Christmas on the Edge
Christmas sets the center on the edge;
The edge of town, the outhouse of the 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 center 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.
Here’s a video from my 2008-09 Afghan deployment of the Protestant chaplain and his crew of carolers that came and visited my unit.
Merry Christmas to all!