One Single Christmas

On a winter night in late December
My hearth aglow with ashes and embers
I watched the flames and tried to pray
For I know Christ was born this day

Logs sputter and hiss but there’s no one to hear it
No loved ones or family to share in the spirit.
I wondered aloud why I was alone
Is there a sin for which I must atone

Or is this a lesson that I’ve yet to learn
Did I lose my faith, did I make a wrong turn
When offered love, did I turn away
Or was it my heart that was betrayed

As I pondered my fate, a warmth filled the room
With a presence that I could only presume
Was not of this world, while it frightened me dear
For these were the words that I was to hear

“Be not afraid, for fear is the weakness
That shuts you away from the love that you seek.
This is the secret — in you, I’ll confide -
You, dear child, — You — are the Christ inside.”

Bewildered and questioning what I had heard
I walked out in the night and repeated the words
Why was I chosen and what did it mean
Did it truly happen or was it a dream

Then from the darkness a crowd appeared
With candles lit, they sang and cheered
“Join us! For the Christ child came
and blessed us with His holy name

Now Christ lives on in all who know
The secret written in your glow
Unite with us as we rejoice
For we are One soul, One heart, One voice

We are ALL the Christ that lives
And with this knowledge we are His
For God has told us from above
That Christ lives on in all who love.”

And with those words, my fears allayed
I do so love this Christmas day
For with this truth it is now known
That I am One, but not alone.