Touching the face of God

Christmas is a time of remembering. It is a time to reflect on the road we have taken, and where it has brought us, and to consider the possible implications of the paths we chose not to take, and where they might have taken us.

I remember one Christmas in Germany. It was like a scene from a Norman Rockwell painting. Fresh snow blanketed the ground, covering the grime of an industrial Europe, muffling all the sounds. We were at the home of a dear friend, Wolfgang, who I had tutored in theology, and who was serving as a chaplain in the German Army, the Bundeswehr. Wolf had poured himself into t...