Readings

Isaiah 45.6-26 | Psalm 85.8-13 | Luke 7.19-23

The Risk of Birth (Christmas, 1973)
Madeleine L'Engle

This is no time for a child to be born,
With the earth betrayed by war & hate
And a comet slashing the sky to warn
That time runs out & the sun burns late.

That was no time for a child to be born,
In a land in the crushing grip of Rome;
Honour & truth were trampled by scorn—
Yet here did the Saviour make his home.

When is the time for love to be born?
The inn is full on the planet earth,
And by a comet the sky is torn—
Yet Love still takes the risk of birth.

Prayer

Holy God,
your prophets call us to look forward to the dawn of a new day;
may we who witness the promised springtime
prepare the way for the coming Sun of Justice, Jesus your Christ,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God now and for ever. Amen.
— Bosco Peters

"That was no time for a child to be born,
In a land in the crushing grip of Rome …"

Palestinia Antiqua, a map drawn, engraved and hand colored by Sidney Hall and published in London by Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown & Green in 1826.