Hi everyone,
My, this post is late. Usually I post Sunday afternoon after church or at latest by Monday afternoon, and now it’s already Tuesday late night (technically Wednesday early morning). But can you blame me? Christmas is this week and while we aren’t having our usual Christmas Day service, the work around this season seems just as busy as ever.
So while this post is very late, I want you to know that you’re still on my mind. My duties, roles, and responsibilities are on my mind (perhaps too much). This lengthy “to-do” list is on my mind, and for some reason it just doesn’t seem to let up.
But such is the season of Christmas, isn’t it? We are busy, busy, busy, and we have to go, go, go. We must produce or somehow this holiday is deemed a failure. We must outdo whatever we did last year or we’re afraid that we have let everyone down. We hustle and we bustle and in the midst of it, we forget to be. We forget to watch. We forget to wait.
Or at least, I do. Like right up until I opened this window to type, I neglected to just be and bask in the joy of this season and recognise the love that has been given to me whether or not I can be all I be or do all I can do or even edit all the video I can edit.
I guess my point is that I’m ready for this upcoming time off. I’m ready to slow down a bit and be a dad, a husband, a child of God. I’m ready for this season as I look for and recognise the Christ child in our midst, the grace of Christ in our presence, and Christ’s love in all of our lives.
Here are the readings for next week:
Isaiah 61:10–62:3
Psalm 148
Galatians 4:4-7
Luke 2:22-40
These texts remind me of how Christmas is about Jesus entering our lives, where we are, as we are, and in who we are. As Simeon all but leaped for joy at the sight of Jesus, so we are able to see and rejoice at the sight of Christ in our midst. We can recognize the good in others and be thankful for God’s love that is so expansive. We can rest in the frightful weather and pause… reflect… and know that God is with us.
And this is a great year to do this. While we might still be a bit sore or upset because we won’t have the kind of giant hoopla for Christmas that we might be used to, I think it’s good to take a forced break from the busyness of the season and the world, and find time for that quiet reflection on all that God has done.
It’s ok to slow down. It’s ok to take it easy. It’s ok to just be.
I know, I should talk. I haven’t been the greatest role model in that area. But I do intend on taking this break the best I can, and take the time to pause and see the joy in a child born unto us, to stop and bask in the light that has come into the world, to slow down enough to be reminded that I am… you are… all of us are dearly beloved by God, that in the fullness of time God should send to us God’s own Son, to save us, redeem us, and show us the ways of truth and love.
Thanks be to God!
Have a wonderful Christmas, everyone!