Hearts Walking

Building One Another - Vol. 11, No. 28
Dear Friend, In his remarks at the prayer vigil held December 16 in Newtown, Connecticut, President Obama quoted Elizabeth Stone:  "Making a decision to have a child – it’s momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body." That has been one of my favorite sayings for a long time. It makes no difference how old you are, how old your child may be, whether your child is alive on this earth or with our heavenly Father. Your child is indeed, your very heart, walking around outside your body. The mystery of the Trinity - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - is that while they are “one,” they are also three distinct persons. On Christmas day, God the Father knew what it is to have a Son “walking around” as did Mary, the mother of Jesus. So we know immediately the depths of anguish of the families in Newtown today and the depths of anguish felt by many families following the birth of Jesus, “When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men.” Matthew 2:16* The very darkness of the world in our day and in the darkness of the day of the birth of Jesus makes the words of the prophet Isaiah and of the Apostle John incredibly significant. “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;  those who lived in a land of deep darkness—on them light has shined.” Isaiah 9:2 “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.’” John 8:12 The light is Jesus. Open your heart to him for his heart is open to you. Indeed you are his very heart walking around!
With joy- E. Stanley Ott Copyright 2012 E. Stanley Ott *Scripture from the NRSV
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