Be born in me

Be born in me
Be born in me
Trembling heart, somehow I believe
That You chose me
I’ll hold you in the beginning
You will hold me in the end
Every moment in the middle
Make my heart your Bethlehem
Be born in me...

So, it's Christmas Eve, when Advent waiting flows into quiet expectancy. After weeks of carols and Christmas songs, a strange medley of tunes is playing in my head: traditional and modern; at times jolly and festive, at others softly reflective. And somewhere in there are snatches of Be born in me (Mary), which I heard for the first time last week, at an Advent service. This song surely speaks of every heart's deepest longing, just as it also speaks of our often unspoken fears and uncertainties when God's choice is unfathomable, and God's call feels too overwhelming. 

And isn't this also the deepest longing and need of our poor, wounded world? For Love to be born in each one of us; for Love to continue to dwell, and find a home, a Bethlehem - a House of Bread, of nourishment and life and generous self-giving - in each heart... There is a line from the song - The only thing my heart can offer is a vacancy... which we can surely pray, confident that all Love desires is a vacancy to fill, forever.

If you haven't yet heard Be born in me, or just want to hear it again, here it is, below. And although I know many of you might not read this until after Christmas day, this brings you greetings, and the hope, especially as we begin this Jubilee Year of Hope, that you will all have a joy-filled, Jesus-filled, blessed and restful feast, in which there is space for Christ to be born in each one of us...