Spirit of Life that goes by so many names… Spirit of Love that has taken so many shapes on our earth over the millennia of human habitation here… we open our hearts to make room for you. With the innocence and imagination of a child, help us to hear the beauty and the magic in the Christmas story. Let us feel the love that surrounded the holy family, and allow that love to heal the cold and unsheltered parts of ourselves, the parts that are lonely and on the road. Whatever may bring sorrow into our lives at this time, let us feel here the presence of a humble community. A community that offers warmth and a shelter from life’s hardships – that offers companionship on our journeys…

Spirit of Hope, God of our understanding, slow our minds as we contemplate the story of a poor family, a child born homeless, yet adored by the wise ones – a child recognized as possessing the holiness and the promise of love for which every human heart hungers, and of which every human heart is capable. The Roman empire is many centuries away from us, yet we too know what it is to live in the midst of an empire, fraught with domination of peoples and land. We too know what it is to live amid the struggles of too many simply to survive, let alone be respected. We too know what it is to live in a time of division and power struggle, with the threat of persecution looming.

Spirit of Creativity, stream as a comet through our beings. Let us follow the light of your infinite possibilities, toward what surprising good thing may happen next in our strange and wondrous universe – our blue-green marble of earth – our continent teeming with diverse peoples and creatures. Help us to ready ourselves for the role we might play in the dramas of our day. We open our hearts and minds, inviting in holy wisdom, humility, and strength for the work ahead. Consecrate us in courage and community as we seek to birth something new – and yet something so old – as we prepare to be midwives in the rebirth of love in our own unfolding story. May it be so. Amen.