Lord God, you revealed yourself as a child. As Mary wondered how God could use her in his mission in the world, so do we wonder how it is that you involve us in your mission. As Joseph’s plans were interrupted with an unexpected pregnancy, so will our own ambitions evolve and shift with the presence of a new life, a tiny life dependent entirely on my wife and me. As our child depends on us for life and sustenance, teach us to recognize more deeply how our sustenance is entirely dependent on you. As our child learns and grows and matures, grow us and teach us and bring us to greater spiritual maturity. Merciful God, just as the news of Jesus’s birth came to humble shepherds, so does the news of your kingdom continue to invite us–the marginalized, the weak–to behold the depth of your love and us. Humble us and shepherd us, that we might recognize how, in your kingdom, you use the weak to lead the strong. Give us grace to lead our child in your way, and in turn be led, through our child, to you.
ben videtich 