The cold air marks the ushering in one of the most anticipated seasons of the year. Christmas is again upon us. We will recall how in a cold winter night, our savior Jesus Christ, the light of the world was born. He was the King of kings, and yet he wasn’t born in luxury, comfort, or convenience. He was born in a manger for there was no room for them in the inn. Warmth was provided by the embrace and love of two humble and poor parents – Mary, a modest country girl and Joseph, a lowly carpenter. But the warmth and light the child gave was even more than what they could provide this baby. He brought joy to their hearts, He inspired faith and hopeful expectation amid the darkness, cold and gloom that they were in. Despite everything, someone greater than them made them feel safe, secure and courageous.

This year, as we prepare to celebrate Christmas, we continue to struggle and confront many challenges. The threat of the virus and the fear and anxiety it brings continues to be a great battle that we confront. The overwhelming stress and despair that this has brought to our families and in our communities has affected the way we live our lives. Erratic behaviors that manifest in hateful words and destructive punches thrown at each other, negativity and refusal to choose to respect and understand, impatient attitude or resigned dismissals, are all we see, as these are all constantly highlighted by the hour and by the minute in both main and social media. On top of this, financial troubles continue to pose threats to many on the stability of life that we have gotten so used to in the past.

Though this may be the prevalent air that we breath, as Christians, we can choose to focus our sight on what Christmas really means. It is to know that despite everything going on, we can choose, like Mary and Joseph, to be enlightened by the light of the Child King, that we can choose to allow ourselves to be embraced by Him so our frozen heart can be melted by faith, hope and love. This should be a good time for us to recall people in our life – family, friend or neighbor – who served as light to us when everything else was dark and gloomy. In doing so, our heart’s attitude can change so the true spirit of Christmas may dominate our being – to be grateful, to be thankful.

It is in this light that I come to you today. To celebrate Christmas this year, I want to highlight how the light of Christ can bring joy and warmth to our hearts. And by doing so, we can be that light to others especially in the larger community we live, in the midst of cold wintry night.