Over 2000 years ago, a young woman found herself pregnant in a less than ideal circumstance. She was young and didn’t have the knowledge or resources to raise a baby. As she approached childbirth, she didn’t have the best support system or a stable place to live. The first few places that she reached out to turned her away. Eventually, someone made room for her and she gave birth to a healthy baby boy. She welcomed him with great joy and raised him with an immense amount of love. He grew in knowledge and strength and went on to save the world from sin. His name is Jesus Christ.
Today, we recognize that Jesus is still in need of a room to stay. He dwells in the unborn babies and mothers looking for a home. We have prepared him a place to live and it is called Maggie’s Place. Like his own mother, we are not experts in caring for newborn babies, but we welcome Christ present in the babies with great joy and an immense amount of love. Our mothers don’t always have the best support systems or knowledge to raise a baby, either. We open our home and provide them with a stable place to live. At Maggie’s Place, we provide knowledge and resources needed to raise a new baby.
Advent allows us to prepare our hearts and lives for the coming birth of our Savior. The grace of seeing Christ in our moms and babies has made this year’s preparations exceptionally meaningful. Decorating the tree and making cookies are opportunities to share the joy of God’s gift to the world. Gathering with the Maggie’s Place community allows us to celebrate as a family. It is a great blessing to have an opportunity to share the Christmas traditions with the moms and to experience the joys of the season with Maggie’s Place community.
A Christmas Day Prayer to Christ the Newborn Savior, the Way, the Truth and the Life
Praise to You, Lord God!
You have become one of us — You have become man, while still retaining all your power and holiness as God!
You, O Lord, made the journey of the unborn child. By being an embryo, a fetus, and a newborn, you joined all unborn and newborn children to you!
From the beginning of history, O Lord, You were the Creator of every human life. Now, with Christmas, You join Yourself in an unthinkable way with the life You created.
Let this Christmas, O God, fill all of us with awe and wonder at how close human life is to You. Cleanse the world of all that tarnishes and rejects this gift. Purify our hearts of all that fears this gift.
Let our Christmas joy be the joy of welcoming every human life! Amen.
By Rachel Niekamp, a MisisonCorps member
