But you, Bethlehem Ephraitha, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me, one who will be ruler over Israel,

whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.

Therefore, Israel will be abandoned until the time

when she who is in labor bears a son,

and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites.

He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name

of the Lord His God, and they will live securely, for then His greatness will reach to the ends of

the earth. And he will be our peace when the Assyrians invade our

land and march through our fortresses.

This is the word of the Lord.

Thanks a God.

Let love find you.

These are the words that have echoed in both my heart and my mind since last week

when I finally took a quiet moment to reflect on the last 12 months.

It's definitely not normal that I sit so early in the Christmas season to take stock of what has been, but this year has felt different.

There's been a sort of restlessness in me, a growing desire to pack it all up and close the last chapter of the year with some kind of neat summary so that I can magically start again

when the clock strikes midnight in just a few weeks. Let love find you. As I sat coffee in my hands

in the same spot I sit every morning. The slideshow of the year began to unfold in my imagination.

And as I tried to survey what had been, I heard it once again,

but now against the backdrop of the images from the year, both good and hard.

Let love find you.

These words are so simple, and yet they have been so disruptive.

...