In all of the noise of the season we set time apart to be still, to be silent.
This is the Christ mass, the moment when birth and death share the same breath.
When all that is past meets all that is to come,
When the prophecies of old take form in the beating heart of a baby.
The journey of advent is coming to its end; the next step is waiting to be taken.
But between breathing out and breathing in there is a pause,
When the night is over, but the dawn is yet to break.
At this hour all is possible,
The past is history and the future is yet unwritten.
When the bells of the Christ mass ring in the quiet of the morning
We wake to a new reality,
Jesus you have come.
We rise to meet you,
Jesus you have come
In the voice of the poor
In the hurting of the sick
In the anguish of the oppressed
Open our eyes that we may see you
Jesus you have come
In the weakness of the vulnerable
In the questions of the doubting
In the fears of the dying
Open our ears that we might hear you
Jesus you have come
In the celebration of the saints
In the generosity of the faithful
In the compassion of the caring
Open our hearts that we might embrace you
Jesus you have come
In the cry of the newborn
In the energy of the young
In the rest of the old
Open our lives that we might follow you
Jesus you have come,
May we see you in all things, on earth and beyond.
May we hear you in all voices, in poetry and song.
May we feel you in every breath of our being
May we always be willing to give all that we have and all that we are,
to touch the world with the Christmas truth:
Emmanuel, God is with us.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from God, full of grace and truth.
May the light of God shine on you,
May the love of Christ shine in you,
May the life of the Spirit shine through you
Amen