Take Time for the Wonder…

There are some things that always seem difficult for me to understand no matter how many times I encounter them. Christmas is one of these things. On the surface it is easy. It is a time of giving and great joy. we are celebrating the coming of the living God into our lives in a tangible way. To do this we put up decorations, prepare feasts and gather together in families and church families to celebrate the coming of Jesus who is the Christ.

Here is where it starts to get confusing. Christmas has become a consuming thing in our culture. Before the ghosts and goblins of Halloween are gone from the stores there is greenery and Santa Clauses peeking out from the end of the isles. There is such a vast accumulation of traditions and customs that in most commercial establishments and many households there is not even a trace of Emanuel, the God who is with us left.

The truth of Christmas, the mystery of God being born as a human Child almost gets lost in the struggle. The baby Jesus part of the mystery of Christmas is nostalgic, but it doesn't grab our attention and hold it the way tinsel, cookies and gifts seem to. One part of the problem here is how ordinary the events themselves are. They just don't seem to fit into the way most people understand God. Though Jesus was not born into a king's palace himself, we have created one for him in our celebration of Christmas. The problem for us is the same one we see in the stores. Jesus, born to poor parents in humble surrounding is overwhelmed in the gift-wrap and excitement is lost in the shuffle.

The difficulty arises not from our celebration of the birth of Christ. It comes from allowing the focus of our celebration to shift from God coming to us in Jesus Christ to ourselves. Our culture teaches this to us from early childhood. It is too easy to focus on what we receive from each other instead of the priceless gift of God's own self that is still with use, sustaining our every heartbeat. Christ come in the ordinary. A Christmas we are surrounded by the extraordinary efforts of peopl selling us all of the goods ands services we will need for our celebration . Somewhere in all of that the ordinary has gotten lost.

Take time for the wonder of the ordinary this Christamas. Look at the perfection of a baby's hand and know that Jesus curled his tiny fingers the same way. In the midst of the excitment of all the gifts, look into the wonder filled eyes of a child and know that the same wonder was in the eyes of the shepherds and the wise men alike as they beheld the gift of God, Jesus, nestled in the arms of his loving mother.

Cherish the quiet moments in between all of the excitement. Set aside some of these moments for prayer and reflection. Think about how much God's gift has changed our world. Through Jesus we have come to a new understanding of God. We are beginning to know what it means to value mercy and grace over sacrifice and legalism. As individuals we can struggle with what it means to be truly loved by God so much that he was willing to set aside everything it meant to be God just so we could understand that love.

Think also of the people and community that love and care for you as well. These too are part of God's gift. Join with us as we prepare and greet the Christmas season in our Advent as Christmas worship. Our love and praise contained in those services and in our own quiet prayers are the gifts and thanks that we return to God for the love he showed in Jesus Christ.

May God be with you and your loved ones throughout this Christmas Season.

Pastor Jim Bliss
Pastor's Notes Archive