'If I were a shepherd...' - Advent Day 11

What can I give Him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;
If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;
Yet what I can I give Him: give my heart.

Imagine you live in a town ruled by enemies. You live in constant fear of exploitation and cruelty; you know any hint of rebellion will be met with fierce vengeance; the fabric of your community is decaying by the second. After enduring this for what seems an age, your town is unexpectedly liberated by allied forces in a daring counterstrike. What is your reaction? Overwhelming thankfulness, of course. But how can you thank them enough? You can’t. What can you return to them in the measure they have given to you? Nothing.

This is dilemma of the protagonist of ‘In the bleak midwinter…’ Just how can I respond to this magnificent hope, this incredible grace, this new era? If I were there at the blessed birth, I would certainly give my lambs or my homage, but I wasn’t. So what can I do? The answer is that there is one thing that we can all give to God, and that is our hearts. And that is what God delights in – our love, our trust, our devotion, our affection.

This Christmas, let us not be cynical about hope and cheap with our affections; rather, let us truly take hold of what God has done for us in Jesus and be generous in returning our love to Him.

In the bleak midwinter - words by Christina Rossetti.