Love Incarnated And Other Abstract Christmas Musings
I have heard it said that when you get to your wit’s end, you’ll find that God lives there.
This has been a year of highs and lows, of which the latter dominated. In a sense, I look forward to putting this year behind me. Then again, in retrospect, I realised that it is in my most difficult times that God becomes vividly real to me.
Two songs shared this morning at Bangsar Lutheran Church’s Christmas Celebration Service were particularly inspiring for me. It reminded me of my own existential therapy experience through the Person who is love incarnate and whose incarnation we celebrate this season.
The song above is based on an 1885 poem by Christina Rossetti:
Love Came Down At Christmas
Love came down at Christmas,
love all lovely, love divine;
love was born at Christmas:
star and angels gave the sign.
Worship we the Godhead,
love incarnate, love divine;
worship we our Jesus,
but wherewith the sacred sign?
Love shall be our token;
love be yours and love be mine,
Love to God and to all men,
love for plea and gift and sign.
How Many Kings
Follow the star to a place unexpected
Would you believe, after all we’ve projected,
A child in a manger?
Lowly and small, the weakest of all
Unlikeliest hero, wrapped in his mother’s shawl -
Just a child -
Is this who we’ve waited for? ’cause…
How many kings step down from their thrones?
How many lords have abandoned their h…omes?
How many greats have become the least for me?
And how many gods have poured out their hearts
To romance a world that is torn all apart
How many fathers gave up their sons for me?
Bringing our gifts for the newborn Savior
All that we have, whether costly or meek
Because we believe.
Gold for his honor, and frankincense for his pleasure
And myrrh for the cross he will suffer
Do you believe?
Is this who we’ve waited for?
All for me…
All for you…
On a more personal note, if only some knew how much Jesus played a part in deciding how some things turned out the way they did.
