But the Bethlehem star may lead me
To the sight of Him Who freed me
From the self that I have been.
Make me pure, Lord: Thou art Holy;
Make me meek, Lord: Thou wert lowly;
Now beginning, and always,
Now begin, on Christmas day.
– Gerard Manley Hopkins, S.J.
May you give and receive love generously.
May this love echo in your heart like
the joy of church bells on a clear December day.
May each person who comes into your life
be greeted as another Christ.
May the honor given the Babe of Bethlehem
be that which you extend to every guest who enters your presence.
May the hope of this sacred season settle in your soul.
May it be a foundation of courage for you
when times of distress occupy your inner land.
May the wonder and awe that fills the eyes of children
be awakened within you.
May it lead you to renewed awareness and appreciation
of whatever you too easily take for granted.
May the bonds of love for one another be strengthened
as you gather around the table of festivity and nourishment.
May you keep your eye on the Star within you and trust
this Luminescent Presence to guide and direct you each day.
May you go often to the Bethlehem of your heart
and visit the One who offers you peace.
May you bring this peace into our world.
– A Christmas Blessing by Joyce Rupp
The world now is too dangerous and too beautiful for anything but love.
May your eyes be so blessed you see God in everyone.
Your ears, so you hear the cry of the poor.
May your hands be so blessed that everything you touch is a sacrament.
Your lips, so you speak nothing but the truth with love.
May your feet be so blessed you run to those who need you.
And may your heart be so opened, so set on fire, that your love, your love, changes everything.
– A Black Rock Prayer Book, p 9
Blessed are you, O Christ, Beloved of God, you were before time began and came into the world to save us.
Blessed are you, Sun of righteousness; you shine with the Creator’s love and illumine the whole universe.
Blessed are you, Son of Mary; born a child, you shared our humanity.
Let heaven and earth shout their praise.
With all the voices of heaven we celebrate the coming of our Saviour.
Let heaven and earth shout their praise.
With all the creatures on earth we sing and dance at Christ’s birth.
Let heaven and earth shout their praise.
–Howard Thurman
