🎄 The Quiet Way of Christmas Grace 🕊️

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​"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." — Luke 2:14

​A Reflection on the Prince of Peace

​Dear friends,

​In a season that often feels like a storm of crowded shops, loud music, and sharp expectations, it is easy to think we must hurry to be holy. We might feel the urge to pick up the busy tools of the world—the stress and the striving—to make everything perfect for the day.

​But when I look at the manger, I see a different way. I see the One who didn’t come with a crown of gold or a sword of power, but with tiny, open hands reaching out from the hay. He showed us that the greatest strength in the universe isn't found in a grand display, but in the "still small voice" of a newborn King who speaks peace to a weary world.

​For those of us who experience Christmas a bit differently—who find the flashing lights a bit too bright and the holiday noise a bit too much—this stable is a refuge. The Light that began in Bethlehem doesn't need to be loud to shine; it just needs to be true. Like the shepherds who knelt in the quiet dark, we find Him best when we are still.

​A Prayer for the Advent Heart

​Dear Lord,

Help me to put away the 'toy swords' of my own hurry and pride today.

As I look at the cradle, teach my hands to be gentle,

My words to be seasoned with the grace of the Season,

And my heart to be a quiet room where Your Peace can rest.

Let me be brave enough to be still.

Amen.

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