God is wanting to connect with us, reach out to us.  That’s the heart of the celebration of Christmas.  We respond, hesitatingly, even unknowingly.  We come, making our way down to Church and to the door. 

Why?  Nostalgia, distant memories, a hard year perhaps or we may be following an instinct that tells us there is more to life than the razzamatazz, something deeper, more coherent.  We want to reach out.  We come in search for God.  And God is in search for us.

 

Tonight we have heard the narrative, the story of this searching.  It comes to us across the centuries, gathering resonance and meaning as it travels through our human history.  We listen in this moment.  We are caught up in this unveiling of the most secret of our being.

 

God loves us – every part of our lives.  He longs to hold us and shape us for love.  The journey of following that love is one of great joy and satisfaction.  It demands our attention and effort.  This Christmas celebration, this feast of Christ, expressed the unswerving desire of God to embrace each one of us, and to engage with our lives.  He comes so that we may never feel alone or lost.  He comes that we might live in love and light, for truth and mercy and justice.  He yearns for our happiness, for a peace and joy that is beyond words.

A Happy, Blessed, Loving and Joyful Christmas to you all.