the work of Christmas begins

few years ago, i got a call from someone who had broken their santo nino (baby jesus statue). she did not know what to do with it– but she knew that she did not want to throw it away. i told her to bring it to the parish office and i would take care of it for her.

a couple days later there was a box in the for me. i opened it and saw the body of jesus in pieces. it was a bit disconcerting. when i unpacked it later my thought was, “i can fix it.” the broken pieces sat on a table for a couple of days:

then, it occurred to me: the body of Christ is broken in our world today.

this quote from howard thurman captures this stirring:

let us pray:

may the Holy Spirit steel your heart to know the power of the incarnation: Christ’s holy presence among us in all things– even the deepest pains of our lives. may we all know the Peace and Joy that comes from our God who chose to be One like us. may we choose actions of love and justice for the broken body of Christ among us. amen