I got up not too early on this Christmas Day, 2019 after a late night Christmas Eve service. I got my daughter the meds she needs and sat down at her bedside to keep watch, read, and pray. As in most mornings, song lyrics were running through my mind. This morning the lines were,  “Why should he leave he leave his kingly state, for such a world of greed and hate? The power of Satan breaking, our peace eternal making.” In my reading I came across a post by a colleague saying that her 18-year-old slept under the Christmas tree last night. She posted a picture too, with a funky little Christmas tree with wrapped gifts piled underneath, and sure enough a sleeping figure wrapped up in a blanket as close to the tree as she could get.

Later this morning, my partner Tim gave me this painting as a Christmas gift. He traded one of his own paintings for this one by Katie Joy Nellis, Summer Reverie:

I love the painting. She looks like she’s in a dream state, in utter peace and stillness, held and carried in the loving embrace of the grasses. I put the painting on the piano for now. Underneath the tiny crèche sets resting on top of the piano, as though all of them together have landed in the darkness of joy like some angel in Wim Wender’s Wings of Desire.

Merry Christmas. I bring you good news which shall be for all people. Unto you is born this day…