Merry Christmas!

May you have a Christmas Day enriched

with the Hope He came to bring us.

Let us wonder and take delight in the paradox as we consider, what Child is this?

Behold the Father is His daughter's Son.

The bird that built the nest is hatched therein,

The Old of Years an hour hath not out run.

Eternal Life to live doth now begin.

The Word is dumb--the mirth of heaven doth weep,

Might feeble is, and Force doth faintly creep.

-Robert Southwell (1560-1593)

[Emphasis mine]

Blue Monday – Postcard from Sweden

Here is a postcard which I received from a college friend, Birgitta, years ago. Attached on the front is a small hand embroidered star of Bethlehem.

The text on the front is handwritten by Birgitta
Writing from Sweden she explained,
"The little verse on the other side I found in a book while in Norway. I’ve seen it before & it made a deep impression on me. Translated:

‘If Jesus Christ a thousand times

was born in Bethlehem,
But never in my heart,
I would anyway be lost.’"

This is so very true. Let’s us keep this perspective in mind during these days leading up to Christmas Day and beyond through the New Year.

For more Blue Monday posts please visit Smiling Sally.