Every time I hear Stevie Wonder sing “Someday at Christmas,” the classic penned by Bryan Wells and Ron Miller, I get misty eyed at their hopes and dreams for a world where there are “no wars, when we have learned what Christmas is for,” and “…when we have found what life’s really worth, there’ll be peace on earth.”
I’ve prayed a similar prayer, not so elegantly worded mind you, but the reality is that we must not only pray and hope for a more peaceful and just world, but we also have to purposely work for it.
What better time to do that than this Christmas? What better reason than this Christmas?
If we can spend millions taking people to faraway galaxies, surely we ought to be able to sit down, put our differences aside for a moment, and try to create some sister and brotherly love. Surely we can decide that fighting among ourselves is counter-productive and dangerous. For the sake of the children, could we put people before politics and make doing what’s right the norm instead of the exception?
This powerful and poignant tune offers hope that someday at Christmas there will be no hungry children, “…hate will be gone and love will prevail,…maybe not in time for you and me, but someday at Christmas time.”
I saw someday beautifully lived out as I watched neighbors and strangers join hands this week in Kentucky and other states as they picked up shattered lives, hopes, and dreams after last weekend’s deadly and devastating storms. Each hand and heart, along with the chain saws and bottled water, proved that we can love beyond race, class, gender, difference, beyond chaos, confusion, and strife. I saw someday at its best.
This holiday season many of our friends and neighbors are suffering/have suffered devastating losses—personal, financial—name it and somebody’s going to be without the thing/person that makes them whole, that makes them ready and able to face tomorrow.
It seems almost every day we hear of an unexpected death, a terminal health condition—something that distracts, detracts, debilitates– and yet we are so blessed. Not lucky, not perfect, but blessed in so many ways.
My prayer this Christmas season is that each of you will find joy and meaning in the little things that are really not little at all—the laughter of happy children, the hugs of a grandparent, a sweet note from a friend, memories of Christmases past—whatever joy looks and smells like. May you find peace in the quiet of the morning and glimpse the wonder of the season in the sparkle of the stars and the radiance of a sunny winter day.
As we pause and reflect today, may we truly embrace grace, mercy, and forgiveness and get busy mending fences, rebuilding trust, and reaching up and out to those around us. Someday can be today, tomorrow, or never, and we don’t have a magic wand to create an ideal someday, but fortunately, like this song’s composers, we can pray, be vigilant, hopeful, and tireless in our efforts to create a better day, for a better world.
We give thanks for another Christmas season, and for time with our families and friends, especially during these turbulent times. May your days be merry and bright as we remember that the gift of Jesus Christ was/is the reason we celebrate. May this beautiful story of redemption and grace inspire us to show the love of God in every place and through all we do. Amen.
Looking for inspiration, empowerment, uplift, straight talk, an encouraging word to brighten your day? You’ve arrived! Meet Dr. Cynthia Ann Bond Hopson, best-selling author, educator, inspirational speaker, sistergirl–she’s all that and more. Now listen to her new podcast, “Three Stores, Two Cotton Gins, One Remarkable Life: The Journey from There To Here,” and meet her favorite family and friends as they share laughter and heartwarming life lessons. Look for it on this page or wherever you get your favorite podcasts.
