24 Dec 2015

Adoration of the Shepherds by Gerard van Honthorst — *Adoration of the Shepherds* by Gerard van Honthorst

Today is Christmas, today we come together again to celebrate the life of Jesus (for those who are Christians) and his message in our life. We take time each year on this date to unite with those we love and those we are loved by. We take the time to reflect on the meaning of Jesus life.

And what was the essence of his message and life?

His message was one of love. It was one of enduring the hardest pains and tortures to uphold what is true, what is right, what is love. His example was one of loving wisdom and the desire to redeem us from ignorance, from fear, from guilt and from confusions. His message was was one of union with (what he considered) a divine higher power and his loyalty to it.

His passion to teach left the world richer from the poverty of the belief that to be one with God one needed to fear. He shared with us that each can have a connection with his Father because we are all children of the same source.

Here, today lets say thank you for his life and example, for his birth gave the world a treasure of love. Because of him we gather today. Because of him we share gifts with each other, sharing our abundance or the little we have. For in the sharing we all become better, in the giving we receive.

Smile today, celebrate if you can the triumph of love over hate, the triumph of compassion over prejudice. The triumph of union over division.

There is much we have lived in this year. Our families may have grown or become smaller, our wealth may have increased or decreased; we may have had many failures and successes. Our health may be good or poor, yet no matter the state of our external circumstances, today we celebrate what really matters: Love in our family, joy in our lives and the gift of each other's presence.

A Norwegian Christmas, 1846 painting by Adolph Tidemand

Tonight let's open our hearts and our minds to let love fill them with its essence. Let yourself become one with your loved ones, let yourself be nourished by them. As what can be more healing than being loved and being loving.

And if you can sing today as a statement of joy, as an expression of the deepest you and to let the world know what is inside you. Let yourself today be a little more like Jesus was, spreading a message of love.

Merry Christmas to all!

LET THE JOY LIVE