(If you are just joining us, please refer to the blog post for the first week of Advent for background on this post.)

The Christ child is born. Let us take time just to be: be at peace or be in turmoil; be joyful or be grieved; be festive or be contemplative; be assured or be afraid. No matter who you are or where you are in life, be clear of just one thing: a tiny baby has been born this day for you, so that you might experience God’s grace-filled love. You did not do anything to deserve this, nor can you do anything to make God stop loving you. So just be . . . and listen to the sounds of a world meeting its savior.

Cross: Glory to God in the highest . . .

On each bead: Be.

Cross: . . . And on earth peace to all people.