A Tender-Hearted God
How we need a tender God this Christmas! It seems we are all a little broken-hearted this year. It’s been a very unusual one, as challenging as any year I’ve known. And it’s not just the corona virus and the devastation it’s wrought, but the great divides it’s caused among families and friends. More than ever, lines have been drawn, sides have been taken, and angry debate has run roughshod over true communication. The building of walls has far outstripped the building of bridges. There’s a sadness in me, a realization that humanity (very much including myself) is still so far from building the Kingdom Jesus envisioned and enfleshed for us.
And, into this mess of a world (and this one messed-up heart) comes Jesus, our Emmanuel. Again and always, He comes and pitches His tent in the heart of the messiest of the mess. God’s tender heart trusts us with Jesus, hoping we will open our eyes and ears and hearts to Him…perhaps this Christmas…perhaps this moment. Thank you, Tender-Hearted One. You haven’t given up on us. That’s what I celebrate year after year. I sing with Zechariah and I sing with gratitude and hope:
“By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
-Luke 1:78-79