For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
“Prayer was the heartbeat of the early Celtic Christians. They prayed about most, if not all, aspects of their daily life: from the weaver at the loom and the farmer sowing the seeds, right through the fisherman, the milkmaid, and the crofter. When she arose in the morning to stoke the embers of the previous night’s fire, the woman would pray:
I will kindle my fire this morning
in the present of the holy angels of heaven
without malice, without jealousy, without envy,
but the Holy Son of God to shield me.
God kindle Thou in my heart within
A flame of love to my neighbor,
to my foe, to my friend, to my kindred all.
Jean McLachlan Hess in Journey to the Manger with St. Patrick & Friends: A Six-Week Celtic Advent Devotional, excerpt from reading for Day One (North Charleston: CreateSpace, 2015).
Just south of Kiama in New South Wales is a picturesque seaside burial ground called Gerringong Cemetery (the site of this header photo). We were privileged to visit there with our Aussie friends. It looked like the coast of Ireland, hence my desire to read from an Irish Advent devotional just prior to our return trip home over the Pacific.
While sitting on this hillside, my mind kept singing the famous Christmas carol “O Little Town of Bethlehem” in my mind. I contextualized it by replacing the location Bethlehem with Gerringong. I kept thinking how the “hopes and fears of all the years” are met in the Christ of Christmas. Thinking about this place and then reading this prayer gave me a thought as we draw nearer to Christmas.
In particular, the notion of God kindling a flame of love within us for friend and foe struck me. This flame has no malice, jealousy, or envy. This time of year, there’s lots of malice, jealousy, and envy. People want things others have. They desire positions or circumstances they think others enjoy which leads them to discontentment in the present. Life if overcome by hopes and fears!
Regardless of your hopes and fears for the future, live in the present moment this Christmas. Ask God to kindle a fire of love for everyone around you. Do this and rather than exhibit malice, jealousy, and envy, you will be rightly positioned to share the the priceless gift of the love of Christ.
It’s the generous gift that money can’t buy and that everyone needs!