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If it is true that life is full of danger and beauty, growth and death; if it is true that we are made of star-stuff flung into being by exploding supernovae; if it is true that we are earthlings, formed of the same material that emerges hot and molten from volcanoes—then might it also be true that these same energies live within us? Energies that are volatile, dangerous, even violent?

Look at us on this earth. Here in lovely, genteel Victoria, I encounter menace and heartache the moment I step outside my door. I live only a block from St John’s, and walking anywhere requires negotiating the gaping wound of the Pandora 900 block. Yet even if I lived elsewhere, the news alone would confirm that humans are full of danger. We carry it within us. As children of this universe, we should not be surprised.

This is the universe we come from. This is the earth that formed us. And yet this same universe is also the home and origin of the most exquisite, rare, and abundant life. And we are that too. Our art bears witness to this inheritance. Our children bear witness. Our acts of loving-kindness do as well.

What compelled the Syrian-Australian father of two to throw himself to stop a shooter—while being shot at himself—is as much a part of human nature as the hatred that motivated the violence. Courage. Courage is what human beings uniquely contribute to life, to the universe. It is courage that brings light into darkness. Darkness is only terrifying when left unlit; it is only formless and void when creativity is absent. Hate has power only when love is withheld.

It is our calling, as humans, to apply love, creativity, and light to this tumultuous and powerful world. That requires courage. And perhaps courage itself is a unique form of love that we offer the universe. God and angels do not need bravery to exist here. They’re not threatened by earthquakes, floods, mass shootings, war, or disease. They do not wrestle with fear, impulse, hurt, or hate.

The divine exception is Jesus. Jesus feared. Jesus wrestled. Jesus wept. This is my Christmas realization: Christ, the Word, became vulnerable to the same world we inhabit, and loved it- loved us. In Jesus, we are shown how to work and live with the world we have and the humanity we are, loving bravely,  and choosing to provide light even when darkness feels overwhelming.