Christmas Letter 2020
There is a cave in Bethlehem where heaven touches earth, where angels bow and animals kneel, where Divinity infuses humanity. A Virgin gives birth to the Son of God, and the cave contains the whole cosmos. In this cave, the lowly are exalted, the poor are made rich, the lost are found, the homeless are given a home, the wanderer is welcomed, the stranger is familiar. In this cave, the hopeless find purpose, the sorrowing find joy, the sad find solace, the frightened find safety. In this cave the motherless find a mother, and the fatherless find a father. Here the lonely find friendship and the orphan finds a family and a brother.
In here is light and the darkness of the world cannot enter, powers are disenchanted, and sin is forgotten. In here, the thirsty drink living water, the hungry eat the bread of everlasting life, and desire is eternally satisfied. From this cave flows a spring that washes the world, a spring that cleans away all the impurity of the entire earth, a spring that waters all living things. A spring whose water heals all our afflictions, the sick, those with intractable pain, the possessed, the lunatics, and the paralyzed. A spring whose water delights. In the first garden grew the tree whose proud fruit brought death. In this cave grows the tree of life. The taste of the fruit of Eden taught pride, and the fruit of the cave bestows sweet humility. The first nourishes violence and the second healing. The first brings anger and the second compassion. The first brings lies and the second truth. The first brings the burden of riches and power, the second release. The first taste is of restless yearning and the second of satisfaction. The taste of the first fruit brought loneliness and isolation, the second a holy embrace.
Look! See the wise men come with gifts of royalty, divinity, and heroic suffering. Look! See the angels in the sky. Hear the angels singing, Glory to the Most High God. Hear the angels singing, Peace to all the good-hearted. Listen! Hear the angels tell the shepherds, “Go to the cave in Bethlehem. You will find a child lying in a manger.” The ox knows its master, the ass knows the one who feeds it, but my people know me not. Listen! Hear the angels. Follow the shepherds to Bethlehem where we will find the newborn child. Where will find our creator, our master, the one who feeds us.
Follow the shepherds to Bethlehem where we find power in weakness, riches in poverty, relief in humility, rest for the weary, the source of life in a baby, the light of the world in a cave. Follow the shepherds to the cave to find our Savior, our brother, our Lord, and our peace that surpasses all understanding, the God of all consolation.