So when the silver ball fell from the tree, light reflecting in all its shattered pieces, the thought occurred to me. Isn’t this what Christmas is all about? Bringing Light to the broken?
What a great outlook on something that most of us would find annoying. Right before I opened 365, I read our church’s weekly newsletter online, and the passage below was in it. I think it matches your presentation as well as the current news from San Bernardino.
“Born in our Life Barns” by Marlo Schalesky, “Wrestling with Wonder”
I set the Precious Moments Mary there beside the sleeping Jesus, knowing that we have it all wrong. It isn’t in the sweet pastels of life that we find Jesus, that we encounter him in a new way. He isn’t born in our sterile birthing rooms. He isn’t wrapped in soft, sweet-smelling fleece. He isn’t in the carefully structured, pleasantly perfect places we like to create for him. Instead, we find him in the stink, in the noise, in the out-of-the-way, hard, sticky, smelly places of life. No, Jesus is not born in our palaces, or even in our guest rooms. He’s born in our life-barns. He’s born in the place where nothing seems right, where nothing is as we think it should be. That’s the real Jesus.
"The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned." Isaiah 9:2 What a lovely illustration your broken ornament makes.
Most of us would have seen this as an accident to be quickly cleared up. Well done for taking the time and turning this accident into a shot with wonderful words.
@cejaanderson Jane, thank you so much for commenting and for taking the time to share the meaningful passage from your church's weekly newsletter. Interesting that you discovered it just before seeing my broken ornament. Such thought-provoking words, and how true they are. Thanks be to God!
@ckwiseman Thank you so much, Carolyn! When it fell and I heard that unique glass-ornament-hit-the-hard-floor explosion, my heart sank. Then I caught sight of the lights being reflected in the shiny silver pieces, leaned in for a closer look, and the thought popped into my head. I felt instantly better!
Others have said it so much better than I can - but your approach to the broken ornament opened up so many thoughts - a unique picture but an even better thought for the season.
“Born in our Life Barns” by Marlo Schalesky, “Wrestling with Wonder”
I set the Precious Moments Mary there beside the sleeping Jesus, knowing that we have it all wrong. It isn’t in the sweet pastels of life that we find Jesus, that we encounter him in a new way. He isn’t born in our sterile birthing rooms. He isn’t wrapped in soft, sweet-smelling fleece. He isn’t in the carefully structured, pleasantly perfect places we like to create for him. Instead, we find him in the stink, in the noise, in the out-of-the-way, hard, sticky, smelly places of life. No, Jesus is not born in our palaces, or even in our guest rooms. He’s born in our life-barns. He’s born in the place where nothing seems right, where nothing is as we think it should be. That’s the real Jesus.