Snow in San Antonio!

The wonder of Christmas hit San Antonio last Thursday night in a flurry. Yes, beautiful big white flurries blanketed the area on that still night, all to the glee of children and adults alike. It was whimsical, nostalgic and magical. Who would have thought? Snow in San Antonio!

O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie! Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent starts go by. Yet in the dark streets shineth the everlasting Light; The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.

I wonder if that night long ago in Bethlehem was somewhat like our snowy night? The stars glistening against the dark streets. Mary and Joseph knocking out thousands of steps in the cold as they searched for a place to have their baby. Could those in Bethlehem even comprehend at all what took place that night? Never in a million years would they have expected Jesus to be born THERE!

How silently, how silently, the wondrous Gift is giv’n; So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of His Heav’n. No ear may hear His coming, but in this world of sin, Where meek souls will receive Him still, the dear Christ enters in.

What a gift we received that night in San Antonio. No one believed it at first. Until we saw for ourselves. It really WAS snowing! Any burdens or worries we carried seemed to vanish instantly, as we took in the snow. Grown ups became like children, playing with delight in the snow. Children squealed in excitement as they created their first EVER snow man.

O holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us, we pray; Cast out our sin, and enter in, be born in us today. We hear the Christmas angels the great glad tidings tell: O come to us, abide with us, our Lord Emmanuel!

Could it be that the magic of Christmas is found in the unexpected, least likely corners of the world? Could it be that the Holy Child of Bethlehem COULD descend to each of us? O come to us, abide with us, our Lord Emmanuel! God, would you surprise us with a glimpse of the wonder of Christmas?

“But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from old, from ancient days.” Micah 5:2

* (Phillip Brooks (1835-1903) of Philadelphia, wrote the words to O Little Town of Bethlehem in 1868, following a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. He was inspired by the view of Bethlehem from the hills of Palestine, especially at night time.)

Nancy Abbott is the Chaplain for the YMCA of Greater San Antonio.