Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child
Holy Infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace

The beautiful Christmas carol Silent Night was sung around the world last night. The first verse ends with such a beautiful image of the Christ child sleeping peacefully in the manger. Yet let's hope that it doesn't stop there.

I pray that, starting on this Christmas day, Christ is anything but asleep. I hope that He will be more awake and exuberantly living than ever before in the hearts and souls of those who know Him around the world. I pray that we will live up to our responsibility to spread His message -- to show His bright, warm love -- to a world that often seems so horribly dark and cold -- a place where so many lives are filled with despair, hatred, or violence. Jesus is there for us but we have a choice in our lives ... we can let Him lay there asleep in the hay or we can call Him to the life of love and outreach which He so desperately seeks.

I pray that wherever the cruelty of prejudice looms, His love for all will be there. I pray that whenever anger and hatred rise up, His peace will be there. I pray that when unforgiveness is rampant, His grace will show up. I pray that whenever hunger and despair strike, He will be there for nourishment and encouragement for the body, for the soul, for today, for tomorrow. I pray that wherever apathy seems to rule and darkness prevail, His redeeming power will be proven.

God had exhausted other methods of getting through to us, so He sent His son. Emmanuel. God with us. Things have never been the same in terms of the opportunity and power of the life transformed in Him. Yet so much of the world looks the same. Not just across the continent but in our own hometowns. Darkness, despair, desperation. Hunger, cold, loneliness.

Silent night, holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!
Christ, the Saviour is born
Christ, the Saviour is born

He loves us. His Spirit is here. Let's not let it sleep. Let's call it to life. Follow His call. Use the supernatural power of His love. Whether around the world or around the block, we cannot be apathetic.

Silent night, holy night
Son of God, love's pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth

He came so that we might understand love. So that He might teach us His ways of peace. He left us His Spirit and His teachings. Have we learned the lessons that our Father so desperately wanted to teach us? Will we put them into practice? Will we carry them to the world in 2007 and beyond? Will He sleep on the hay or will He prevail in our hearts and live through our lives? It's our choice. Which will it be?