Streams of Mercy

We spent a lot of time, energy and money trying to find the perfect gift for family and friends. As I get older, when I’m asked what I’d like for Christmas, I find myself saying, “I really don’t need anything!” On a recent visit with my son and his family, I heard them tell their eight-year old daughter she should ask for four things: “something she wants, something she needs, something to wear and something to read.” That’s pretty clever guidance for our children in their asking, and for us in our giving!

Thinking along these lines, I found myself recalling the words of a favorite poem by Presbyterian Poet Laureate Ann Weems, from her book Kneeling in Bethlehem, and remembering this poem dear to my heart:

“What Do I Want for Christmas?”

What do I want for Christmas?

want to kneel in Bethlehem,

the air thick with alleluias,

the angels singing

that God is born among us.

In the light of the star,

I want to see them come,

the wise ones and the humble.

I want to see them come

bearing whatever they treasure

to lay at the feet

of him who gives his life.

What do I want for Christmas?

To see in that stable

the whole world kneeling in thanks

for a promise kept:

new life.

For in his nativity

we find ours.

Words of poets like Ann Weems, deepen our understanding of Christmas and the gifts it brings to our individual lives and to all of life. What do we want for Christmas? What do we need to receive to experience those tidings of great joy as never before? In what ways do we need to experience Emmanuel – God with us – right where we are?

Elizabeth