God is With Us

For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called the Angel of Great Counsel, Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Eternal Ruler, Prince of Peace, the Father of the World to Come . . . Great shall be His empire, and of His peace there shall be no end: He shall sit upon the throne of David and shall establish His Kingdom with righteousness, and shall strengthen it with justice, henceforth and forevermore.

- from Isaiah 9:6-7

It was a good Christmas - ice and snow on the ground, the sky clear and crisp. I could see my breath as I stood on the steps of the church. On Christmas morning itself the wind was strong, and it twirled the flurries in the air like moths around a light bulb in summer, but Christmas Eve the sun was at full height, so strong that I had to shut my eyes momentarily when I stepped outside. I remember most of all the midday Vespers and Liturgy of St. Basil. There were only three of us in the choir, only a handful of faithful in the church, but it was one of the most prayerful services I have experienced in a long time. I remember looking over the edge of the balcony at the altar and saw how one strip of light broke through the stained glass, and cast three separate spots on the steps leading up to the Royal Doors. A great thing is happening today, but how few of us will recognize it - God comes into this world and takes on human flesh. How deeply He loves us.

In preschool my son made me a paper mache heart-shaped box with a glass bead inside inscribed with the words I love you. At one point I thought I lost the bead and I was heartbroken, and then a few weeks later, when I was searching for money for candles at the bottom of my bag, I discovered it. I immediately stuck it in my coat pocket and zipped it closed. I didn't want to lose it again. During Vigil that night I reached into my pocket and ran my finger over the soft shell of the bead, thinking - my Sasha loves me and how I love him, yet how much more God loves me, so much it is beyond my human reason to comprehend.

I have let the bead remain in my coat pocket as a gentle reminder of God's love for me and for all humanity and it gives me incredible peace. For a moment, I too am in the cave, beholding His radiance, partaking of His very Incarnation.