Tuesday, December 19th

“…and the friendly beasts around him stood…” (UMH 227)

We have tunnel vision...as the saying goes these days, “It’s all about me/us!” The Christmas story too often is about what “I’m going to get,” so hearing the lovely children’s (?!) carol, The Friendly Beasts, strikes us as cute, but not quite affecting us.

Or does it really tell us more? As each of the stable animals recounts its gift – the donkey carrying Mary to Bethlehem, the cow’s manger for the crib, the sheep’s wool for cover, the doves’ lullaby – we are reminded again of the connections we have, of all the ways we are dependent on one another, even on the lowly creatures of the barnyard; and how each one does have a gift to give.

As we wonder “what will I get?” we need to look about us and see all we have gotten from the creatures around us, and, yes, the people we may be ignoring. Do we look at them as fellow citizens of God’s creation, or as nuisances we put up with?  What gifts come from the world around us, and have we said thanks?

HOW DO ALL GOD’S CREATURES GIVE BACK TO CHRIST AND TO US?

Prayer: Lord, help us care for all those creatures which give us more than we recognize, as those “friendly beasts” gave to Christ. Amen.

Dr. John Cllifford