Today the glow of Christmas festivity and family gatherings warm and permeate our lives. Still the thrill of carols about the birth of Jesus tickles our imaginations and excites our hearts. The holiday cheer surrounds us and envelops us in glad thoughts of a baby born, whose life is pure gift to us, to put back together all that has been ripped apart. We have, once again, heard the old, old story of God's faithful and steadfast love for us. And who can resist a warm, cuddly baby?

Yet we know deep in our guts that the world in which we live is still rocking and rolling in sheer madness. We know the threat of death from terrorists or nuclear disaster or cancer or traffic accident. We know the possibilities of family fractures, of job lay-off, of crushing poverty, or grinding old age. We kno…