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.
- Madeleine L'Engle
January has swept upon my home in a flurry of snow, sleet and bitter wind. Spring and winter wage war upon each other, leaving us in a world of frozen mud and uncertain sunshine. Christina Rosetti's "Bleak Midwinter" springs to life around me, and with Christmas just behind and the prospect of school looming above me I find myself thinking more and more about the year ahead. We have passed through a difficult year, full of death and heartache and darkness, and now New Year's Day has come at last. If I am still, I can almost hear the scratching of a multitude of pens, hastily solidifying goals. Please, God - the whole world seems to be sighing - please let this year be a little better.
So let's talk resolutions.
Epiphany is just around the corner and I am spending my days reading advent poetry, hauling out recipes for King's Cake and Wassail and brainstorming star-themed treasure hunts for Morgen and Daniel. I have never been one for the hustle and bustle of Christmas, but I am truly looking forward to Epiphany. The story of the Magi has always delighted and amazed me. Scholars, star-gazers, dreamers and seekers of all things true, these ancient figures make me wonder how many of us would leave behind our places of comfort to follow such an impossible thing as a star. How many of us would search for the Christ-child in the lowest places, determined to worship him?
Rembrandt | Adoration of the Magi, 1632
The off'rings of the Eastern kings of old
Unto our lord were incense, myrrh and gold;
Incense because a God; gold as a king;
And myrrh as to a dying man they bring.
Instead of incense (Blessed Lord) if we
Can send a sigh or fervent prayer to thee,
Instead of myrrh if we can but provide
Tears that from penitential eyes do slide,
And though we have no gold; if for our part
We can present thee with a broken heart
Thou wilt accept: and say those Eastern kings
Did not present thee with more precious things.
- Royal Presents by Nathaniel Wanley.
What is our adoration? What is our offering? What is our resolution this year, this month, this day?
January, to me, is a month of renewal. A month of birth. We begin with the birth of a new year. We think ahead to all the ways we want to be better in the coming days. We celebrate the coming of the Magi to offer their hearts up to the Christ-child. For us in America, we finalize January in Washington DC, marching for the lives of millions of children.
So this month I am going to put my pen to the task of writing about the children. The lost, the broken, the abandoned, the unborn. And I hope that you will all join me in praying continuously for those who have no voice.
"At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, and said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven. For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish."
- Matthew 18: 1-5, 10-14
So this is my January prayer list, and I am hoping that all of you will join me in my prayers for:
- The unborn
- The orphans
- Children in foster homes
- Children in abusive homes
- Single mothers others with no where to go
- Children on the streets
- Children who have been trafficked
- Children in war zones
- Children who are starving
Below is the link to the 2021 March for Life. Please consider going this year! It is a beautiful celebration of the life we are fighting and praying to protect.
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