The Stable
Two lone figures travel narrow Bethlehem streets searching.
Searching for a place of welcome;
searching for a place of warmth;
searching for a birthing place.
But the doors remain shuttered and the welcome is never offered.
And the long neglected place usually reserved for animals becomes their safe haven.
Yet what is deemed by others to be God-forsaken becomes God-chosen.
For Christmas eyes are transforming eyes;
they see what others choose not to see:
They see promise in what others view as folly;
They see possibilities in what others view as foreboding;
They see potential in what others view as forlorn.
A stable lies waiting in the Judean hill country.
Lonely. Dark. Cold.
Yet of all the unlikely places in the world
it is here that angels sing and a star comes to rest.
It is here that shepherds come to worship and kings offer their gifts.
Yes, a stable stands in wait in Bethlehem.
Lonely. Dark. Cold.
But on a night so long ago
that lonely stable was transformed into the palace of a king;
the darkness was shattered by the Light of the World;
the cold of winter was warmed by the fire of love.
O God-chosen stable. O holiest of temples.
You who were abandoned by men have been embraced by God!
In you heaven reaches down to touch earth.
In you miracles take place.
In you God becomes one with us.
Two lone figures travel narrow Bethlehem streets searching.
And each Advent that search continues . . .
for once again a place is needed;
once again a place is sought.
In each heart lies a Bethlehem.
Some hearts are inns -
places that still offer no welcome;
places where there still is no room;
places whose doors remain locked
and access is denied.
But some hearts are stables -
places that, despite of their imperfection,
offer welcome;
places that allow themselves to be taken over;
places that allow themselves to be transformed;
places that are open to allowing Christmas miracles to take place.
And so, this Advent, come to the stable.
The journey is not burdensome,
nor is it far.
This Advent, come to the Stable.
It is as close to you as your heart.
The Angels gave Him their song,
The Shepherds their worship,
the Kings their gifts.
What can you give Him?
A place,
a stable,
a heart
in which to be born again and again.
