Thursday, December 18, 2014

Dear God,

Hope comes in unlikely places.  A woman sweeping up in a barn receives a promise that she will bear a son, a wonderful son who will bless all people.  Shepherds taking care of their flock see and hear angels singing good news to their hearts.  An innkeeper makes space in a barn for an exhausted  young couple who have nowhere else to go.  Unexpected visitors show up with gifts for the baby and his mother.  An angel comes in the night telling the new family to flee to safety.

It is when we least expect hope to arrive that it comes.  Perhaps that's the miracle of faith.  When we expect nothing good to come to us, goodness finds its way to us.  It takes our breath away.  It restores our soul.  It makes us want to sing again. 

Hope. Living Lord, you bring hope every day in small ways like a tiny light in the darkness, the scent of pine in a sterile environment, or a smile on a hard day. Sometimes you bring hope in great and powerful ways like the word made flesh. You bring life to the weary and joy to the downhearted.  You give us cause to rejoice.

There is
no god
like you.
Thank you
for hope
that brings peace
and peace
that brings joy.

Love always, Andrea