Do I still get my presents?

So, we're face to face with the incarnation. The image of God giving all that is his to take on all that should have been ours. In the meantime, we live in denial of what we deserve and in prideful expectation.

Blessed are those who mourn. Mourning and joy are the same. We mourn sin and live in the joy of redemption. The more we mourn, the greater our experience of joy. Joy will not (really) increase without increased mourning.

Paradoxes like this surround us all during this time, just as they did 2000 years ago. The king born in a manger. The humble king, the king who befriends the leper, the king who spends time with the broken and lonely - ultimately, his followers will need to get the message.