 In the days leading up to Christmas, I walked through the streets of Bethlehem with Palestinians for whom it is home. In this place of present-day occupation, where people struggle to live in dignity and peace, you can't help but reflect on the meaning of the story of Christmas. How is the good news of so many, many years ago revealed in our day, whether in Bethlehem, Barranca-Bermeja, or the downtown East Side? The answer came to me through the children, the ones who played peek-a-boo with me from their mother's laps when we visited the women's groups, the ones who tugged at my sleeves in the markets asking me to buy trinkets, the ones who play in the shadow of the separation wall, or who walked through groups of soldiers with machine guns as if it is the most normal of things. Because it is. God entered our world in the fragile frame of a child. Not only to reveal the extraordinary, the prince of peace in human history, but to reveal the divine in the ordinary, to affirm the divine spark, the inherent value in every child in every human being. Remembering the child born in the manger means remembering every child and striving to make the world a worthy home for each precious life. As we gather in churches, at dinner tables, around trees or in walks through the snow, however we might celebrate, let us rededicate ourselves to a world of truth, justice, and equity, where peace can truly be born. Let us strive to honor every child by creating a world worthy of the divine spark in each person. In many ways, our children are leading us. Deep gratitude and Merry Christmas from this holy place.