Hi everyone,
So I guess we’re in crunch time! Christmas is just around the corner and many of us are right up there in the thick of things, working hard to get those final preparations in place. Whether it be around buying gifts, setting up decorations, or planning out meals, Christmas always seems to bring with it a lot of stress, a lot of busyness, and a lot of credit card bills.
But we do it year after year regardless. In spite of how we often feel in over our heads, or at least I do, we continue to look forward to the festivities, the gatherings, the joy of it all.
And this is what Christmas is about, isn’t it? Sure, the gifts and decorations (and maybe even the elevator music) are great, but it’s the community of people that we’re surrounded by that really brings out that joy. It’s the sense of belonging that we get from family and friends and even strangers during this time of year. It’s the love that we have for one another and the love that we receive in return.
So in the hectic busyness and busy hecticness, I pray that the joy of the season reaches you and yours, that you all may receive the love of the Christ child in your homes and in your hearts!
Here are the readings for next week:
2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16
Luke 1:46b-55
Romans 16:25-27
Luke 1:26-38
Talk about stress. Imagine being an underaged, outcasted, poverty-stricken woman who was just told that she was going to have an illegitimate child right before marrying her betrothed. I don’t know about the rest of you, but as bad as my Christmases could be, it’s never been that bad.
But Mary doesn’t react like how we would imagine she would. She doesn’t run away like we might think. She doesn’t do any of the wild and crazy things that we see others in similar situations do on reality TV.
Instead, she sings a song.
She doesn’t give up, but she submits. She doesn’t concede, but she accepts. She doesn’t lament, but she loves. She loves the child she is about to bring into the world, she loves the life that she’s been blessed with, she loves her God who continually provides for us all in the strangest and most surprising ways ever.
Life sure can get difficult at times. But through it all, we are reminded that we are not alone, we are welcomed and included in community, we are loved.
And that is Christmas.
Thanks be to God! Have a great week, everyone!
Photo by freestocks on Unsplash