The tiny newborn’s hand reached up from the crib and gripped the old man’s rough, calloused finger. Joseph marveled at the strength and vitality and warmth that radiated from this little one’s hand on that cold night in the hills of Judea. Every newborn’s hand is a small miracle – but this one, Joseph knew, was the very hand of heaven reaching out to bring miracles of healing and hope and peace.

Viking Hand sounds pretty cool. Like it could be the name of a Scandinavian death-metal band or something. An orthopedist this Spring told me it’s actually a thing called Dupuytren’s Contracture, a hereditary condition affecting primarily people of Scandinavian descent where fibrous tissues beneath the skin cause fingers to contract and prevent the flattening of the hand. Apparently I have it, and while my hand is perfectly functional now, it may require corrective interventions in the future as it progresses. As weird health conditions go, it’s certainly not the worst one to discover. But it has made me think a lot this year about the utility and the significance of the human hand.

What have you done with your hands this year? Have you made something you’re proud of? Played beautiful music? Written a love letter? Kneaded a loaf of sourdough bread? Our hands can, of course, be used for good or evil… we can extend an open hand of friendship just as easily as we can strike out in anger with a closed fist. We can build up, or we can tear down.

During this Christmas season, when we celebrate the hand of God reaching into our fallen world, we would do well to consider the miraculous power of our own hands. May we resolve to reach out more… to embrace more… to build more… to do more. You hold the future in the very palm of your hand. Let it be filled with only good things.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!