This year has brought us tears and sorrow Watching our world, like the very ground beneath us tremble with fear racism death hate So many questions without answers So many mothers who have had to bury their children We cannot unplpug from the noise of news Our world is being torn at its seams by the tug of war Finding it difficult to make or keep peace The fight for human rights The fear of disease The violence of militants, lives are being snuffed and stolen Typhoons, airstrikes, open fire This year nearly 300 girls were kidnapped in Nigera while getting an education And most of them have still not returned home The protests in Venezuela, china, mexico, Ukraine are the same as the protests happening in New York, Atlanta, Furguson Our cities and towns are at an unrest As we wrestle with the violence of lone gunmen, immigration, race relations As we watch our neighborhoods turn into war zones, we don't hear the wounds We just take sides and divide to find our "us" so we can accuse "them" We have stopped listening We find ourselves with angry fists in what is supposed to be the season of giving There have been breaches in our confidence and trust We have lost our ability to mourn with those who mourn To see injustice with disgust #Bringbackourgirls Ebola Ice bucket challenge #I cant breathe Why I stayed Renisha mcbride Occupy hong kong #Black lives matter Gaza under attack Yes all women #Breakthe internet Take down that post Mh370 #Prayforsouthkorea Mh17 Hands up don't shoot Until our souls need a cease fire Sometimes it's hard to light the candle and drink the tinsel When Christmas seems to not unwrap gifts but wounds Reminding us of the people we've lost Of the things that have been stolen Of despair of grieving The kind of sadness a Christmas carol can't seem to shake And what do we do with this baby? This savior whose arrival had no celebrity, no red carpet, no paparazzi Just mary and joseph, and manger animals And stars to lead wise men What does this Jesus have to do with our brokenness and wounds? What does he have to say when the plotlines of our lives don't wrap up neatly like a Christmas tune? This Jesus is not just a baby. He is the radical revolutionary who came to do the saving Who spoke uncomfortable truth to the narrow minded religious Who turned over tables for justice Who used his voice to speak for children, orphans, widows Who became freedom for the oppressed, yes He wanted us to know peace so badly he sacrificed himself. So we could realize we are not us vs. them We are us with Him Us, who want to walk in love and serve like Him Fight against injustice and poverty with him Let's listen to those who are hurting Mourn with those who are weeping Let's do what we hear the angels singing For love for peace for goodwill for all humanity this Advent May jesus teach a weary world and our weary souls to fight for justice And someday live in peace