One of my favorite, and absolute, truisms is that the human brain requires a minimum of seven times of hearing / seeing / learning something before we really hear or understand or incorporate it.
A priest I admire and follow recently said that the reason we celebrate Christmas is because we need this annual reminder of the hope for who we can and might best be as humans: loving, peaceful, generous, forgiving children.
Because that is really the story of this night, isn't it? That god is born into each of us, that we can incarnate god in how we choose to be.
Perhaps then it is little wonder that we have buried this simple message -- as clear as a bright star drawing us toward it in the sharp cold of a winter sky -- with so many layers of stuff that it is almost completely obscured to many.
We really do have choices in the face of both the hardships and luxuries we encounter.
The Christmas story, and the Advent readings leading up to it, are just one religion's way to remind us that humans are not a priori violent, greedy, self-centered and vengeful even if those traits are the ones we seem to idolize in those we elect as leaders.
These stories exist in every culture and every religion.
And still they are not enough to keep us from putting the false idols of wealth and power first.
They are not enough to keep us from failing to forgive each other and instead seeking vengeance, hurling not only words and rocks but also policies and missiles.
The proof that we are flawed beings is everywhere. We all experience how difficult it is to make the best choices. How tempting it is to want too much, to step on others in our urgent desire to acquire.
What a challenge it is to serve by being last, rather than always trying to be first.
The proof is inscribed in history and across each of our individual hearts.
Christmas offers the x7 reminder of the yearly hope that we can instead recognize the god-nature in all around us, and choose the god-nature in ourselves.
We can return to that baby in the manger in ourselves, and carry that love, peace, generosity, and forgiveness forward into the new year.
Every year a fresh start -- as long as we can find and hear the stories under all with which we've buried them.
