Greetings in the name of the Lord!
This Christmas I have had the privilege to work with choreographer Allie Beard on a beautiful Christmas dance at our church: ‘All is Well’. The Christmas message of incarnate Jesus coming to us as a babe in a manger is as real and needed today as it was thousands of years ago. I live in San Bernardino and the massacre that occurred only a few weeks ago had the killers living in my hometown of Redlands. Actually, they lived on my street. As I look around me and see the fear of a broken world invade so many homes, I can read the words of this hymn and rejoice in the gift we are all given at Christmas:
All is well all is well
Angels and men rejoice
For tonight darkness fell
Into the dawn of love’s light
Sing A-le
Sing Alleluia
All is well all is well
Let there be peace on earth
Christ is come go and tell
That He is in the manger
Sing A-le
Sing Alleluia
All is well all is well
Lift up your voice and sing
Born is now Emmanuel
Born is our Lord and Savior
Sing A-le
Sing Alleluia
He’s the Savior of the world
Born is now Emmanuel
Born is our Lord and Savior
Sing A-le
Sing Alleluia All is well
Into the darkness of the violence and chaos that our culture continues to experience is the God of Peace. The gospel rings true into our hearts and sings a message that only Jesus can give! He invites all the world into a dance that allows unconditional hope, love and joy to be seen through His actions and the actions of all who die to self and follow him. Can you forgive those who have wounded you with emotional bullets and to those who have displayed actions that have crushed your heart? The gospel is counter-intuitive. There is no protection in unconditional love. At its deepest point, we find a Savior who beckons us to go beyond the boundaries of a self-absorbed, me-based nature. That’s what makes it a privilege to share embodied faith through movement that creates a visual picture of the message that we all need to see. It is true that all is well.
Merry Christmas!
For you:”The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” John 1:14
