Kelly Bates Oglesby resides in Indianapolis with her husband, Herman Oglesby. She serves God by serving people with humility and love. Kelly works to bring peace and reconciliation and welcomes opportunities to fellowship.
14 The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, Generous inside and out, true from start to finish.
15 John pointed him out and called, “This is the One! The One I told you was coming after me but in fact was ahead of me. He has always been ahead of me, has always had the first word.”
16-18 We all live off his generous bounty, gift after gift after gift.
John 1:14-18The Message (MSG)
In times like these, we need hope, joy, peace, love, and salvation. These times burgeon with misery, madness, and mystery. Children devastated by bombs in Aleppo, women raped and abandoned during wars, men consumed by the agony created through greed and discrimination.
These are times when cities suffer from contaminated water systems; when mmigrants and refugees are left alone and in need in these times need safe places; and when the widows, widowed and orphaned live in isolation and long for companionship and compassion.
In times like these, I remind myself if there is to be hope, light, peace, or joy that I must bear it. How can I bear these divine traits in a world that seems to betray me-betray us-so often? I can and I must because Jesus is my Savior. The Christ came as a child because we needed to be vulnerable and hopeful despite our circumstances.
The hope of our salvation is not in military might, but in the meek majesty of a loving babe. Into our hearts and spirits the babe comes. In our hearts and spirits Jesus grows. He comes into our hearts and we carry him into our homes and across the world.
Too often we feel as though we are empty – no gifts to bring. Yet, it is the gifts of our Messiah that we bear to the world. We bring Jesus’ joy into the cares and crises of our lives. We share hope and speak peace in dark and troubled times, and the Christ in us speaks through us.
The mystery of our Messiah is the grace and mercy given that we might become peacemakers, truth-tellers, joy-sharers, and love-bearers.
There is great promise, Godly prophecy, in each believer to share the gift of Christ and salvation in times like these. May the wonder and joy of the Christ child renew our hope and free us to seek peace and share love on Christmas and beyond. May the world see God by seeing the Christ in each of us as we share and care with the least of these and everyone.
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