It's Christmas Day. This is always a quiet day around my house. We never travel for Christmas and we keep it simple. Christmas Eve candle light service, food and drinks with my parents following this, some holiday TV watching. Today is is gift giving in the morning followed by dinner at my mom and dad's house. The chaos and mayhem of the past 6 weeks draws to a merciful close.
This year I let a lot of things slide. I made decisions to spend my time in other ways. They were consciously made. I knew if I did these things that I felt called to do, that other tasks that typically occupy me at this time of year would suffer or not happen at all. While this created some conflict within me at times, I knew that the things I was doing, the people I was serving, were the right choice. It occurs to me that each of us is faced with many such decisions on a daily basis. There is a push and a pull on us at all times. We are constantly asked to make choices. We can either chose things that will have a lasting impact, or we can be derailed and make lesser choices that are typically easier, but far less important in His grand scheme of things.
The Christmas Story is much like this. The easier choice for Mary would have been "No thanks, Gabriel. Tell God I'm honored, but if it's all the same, He should probably find someone else for this job!" The easier choice for Joseph would have been for him to send Mary away quietly as he had planned rather than proceeding to take her as his wife. The easiest choice for the shepherds would have been to stay in the fields with the flocks instead of venturing into Bethlehem looking for a stable somewhere housing an infant. And what of the Magi? Following that star for years! Why not stay home warm in the comforts of their great palaces rather than journeying on the back of camels across difficult terrain in search of who knows what? All of these people made difficult choices. And because of their choices God's perfect plan of salvation for the world came to fruition.
If the principle players in the Christmas Story would have made different choices, they would have missed it. They would have missed the birth. There would have been no birth to miss. We make similar choices today. And if we are not careful, we too will miss it. Through all the chaos, tinsel, holiday shopping sprees, trips to the post office, packages, bows, holiday cookies, cards, parties, celebrations, gatherings- where is it? Where is the miracle of the baby lying in the manger? You see, this is what turns me into a Grinch this time of year. It is all these other things that attempt to crowd out the miracle that annoy me. Which is why the moment I live for every Christmas season is that moment when the lights are dimmed and hundreds of voices are raised in prefect harmony by candle light. "Silent Night. Holy Night". There it is! Finally! Everything recedes and all that is left is to kneel next to the manger and peer at the sleeping Holy infant. He is come. The promise of the ages. May we not miss the gift he brings.....the promise of redemption for all who believe. Shalom!
No comments:
Post a Comment