Being born is hard, the baby has to let go of a world that felt so secure, so safe, so warm , so comforting, once he didn’t even have to breathe for himself…and then the baby has to endure being pushed out, almost crushed in the process, out into a hostile, big environment with no safety of the womb. Here, the baby’s needs are not on tap, he will have to call out for his needs to be met and hope that someone will respond. It is frightening and scary in a world with no walls to touch.

Being born is risky, the baby could die, and there may be complications and physical abnormalities. For us to allow a hidden part of us to be born, to be revealed can be very risky, we could lose face, family, friends, church… but the greatest risk is ultimately you could lose your soul. To be born again involves letting go, letting go of old truths and beliefs, assurances and insurances, letting go of a way of life…

Many of us are afraid to be born again, to allow god to be born anew in us as it is frightening to risk letting go of the world we have constructed, even if that world does not content us or is uncomfortable, we end up living by the belief – ‘better the devil you know!’

So this Christmas maybe the best gift you can give to yourself is to allow the agnostic to be born in you afresh, to encourage it to thrive and develop. What both Christmas and Easter have in common is flesh, powerlessness, weakness and letting go. So let go and be born again!