Christmas

We first published this reflection by Jim Wallis in 2002. It has since become our Christmas tradition, kind of our own Charlie Brown Christmas special, if you will.

This morning, I found window 15 outside the church building on the stairs leading up to the cathedral door. Upon opening it, a picture of a smiling family greeted me-a father, mother, and two children.

The December 13 window opens to the fourth gospel-the eagle symbol of the evangelist John.

I remember how Christmas used to be when I was a little girl: waking up early Christmas morning, racing downstairs to see the presents and unwrapping gifts.

I had a hard time finding window nine, an elusive little door hidden in the bushes outside of the cathedral. When I opened it, there was a picture of one of the most famous of Jesus' stories: The Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32).

When I opened the sixth window on the Advent calendar, a very traditional Christian picture greeted me: a shepherd carrying a sheep.

I'm on the road this morning. So I called my husband and asked him to open the fifth window on the Advent calendar. "What it is?" I asked. "Singing," he replied. "Not angels. No heavenly choir. People. People singing."