Jesus,
It’s a good thing you were born at night.
This world sure seems dark.
I have a good eye for silver linings.
But they seem dimmer lately.

These killings, Lord.
These children, Lord.
Innocence violated.
Raw evil demonstrated.
The whole world seems on edge.
Trigger-happy.
Ticked off.
We hear threats of chemical weapons and nuclear bombs.
Are we one button-push away from annihilation?
Your world seems a bit darker this Christmas.

But you were born in the dark, right?
You came at night.
The shepherds were nightshift workers.
The Wise Men followed a star.
Your first cries were heard in the shadows.
To see your face, Mary and Joseph needed a candle flame.

It was dark.

Dark with Herod’s jealousy.
Dark with Roman oppression.
Dark with poverty.
Dark with violence.
Herod went on a rampage, killing babies.
Joseph took you and your mom into Egypt.
You were an immigrant before you were a Nazarene.
Oh, Lord Jesus, you entered the dark world of your day.
Won’t you enter ours? We are weary of bloodshed.
We, like the wise men, are looking for a star.
We, like the shepherds, are kneeling at a manger.

This Christmas, we ask you, heal us, help us, be born anew in us. 

Amen.

-Max Lucado