The Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring
up.” Every Christmas morning for the past twenty-five years
I have sprung up out of my bed to celebrate with children the
joy and wonder that we call Christmas. Because of them I can see
the magic of how hope changes the ordinary life in our house to
a wonderland of love. Christmas comes like a gift. It sweeps in
during Advent to say simply, “Love is born”; you don’t have to
wait or watch. It has sprung up in the middle of night while you
slept and has brought you good tidings of great joy.

Isaiah accurately reflects that such unbounded joy feels like
“the robe of righteousness” covered with a garland and jewels,
like we are going to a feast. We spend much time in our lives
working hard, discerning the call, standing for justice, and loving
our neighbors. Ah, but every now and then, the waters part
and joy shines out like the dawn. This is that day! This is the
day to see the sunrise as a miracle. This is the day to remember
that in the midst of violence and oppression, life is full of freedom.
This is the day to know that in the midst of hurt and fear,
hope never dies!

I believe Christmas was created to remember that there is a
space for the optimist. A place exists for those who want to live
and work as a witness to the truth that in the end love is the
most powerful force for change in the world. In this way, the
true gift of Christmas comes—where each of us remembers we
are “a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord.”