Some days are postcard perfect days. Then, every so often the weather turns. Unexpectedly, we walk out our door and we are confronted with hostility. Often, in these moments, if we look we can find hidden paths.

Prayer has not always been at the top of my priority list. Oh, I would use it when I needed it. I would treat it as my Monopoly ‘get out of jail’ card. If I had a fight, or I was broke, or sick... and I felt trapped, unable to figure it out, I would whip out a quick and frustrated prayer. Then I would go on my merry way, simply hoping for the best. In all honesty, my expectations that I would see my prayers answered were feeble.

I wonder if he felt the ache of the betrayal and rejection that was about to descend? The unfairness of the greatest moment on earth. I wonder if he hoped one would stay? Just one would hold true. His humanity would desire it, his divinity would surpass it.

For a garden to flourish, the gardener must be alert to the seasons, and work within that season to gain the most from it. At times we can rebel against this, wishing it were summer when it is winter. However, we miss the significance of the moment, and our significance to the moment, when we ignore the present.

I have witnessed the church move in beauty and grace, fulfilling its purpose on this earth in the most divine manner. I have also witnessed it in the deeps of despair – lost and wandering in such a way that the world seems more enticing.

In this baby is proof that God’s word is true and can be trusted. In this baby is certainty of hope that every prayer ever offered up has been heard and that there is a solution on the way. Peace is possible, restoration ready, and reconciliation waiting, all because of this baby.