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Matthew 2:11: On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
What do I want for Christmas?
I want to kneel in Bethlehem,
the air thick with alleluias,
the angels singing
that God is born among us.
In the light if the Star,
I want to come,
the wise ones and humble,
I want to see them come
bearing whatever they treasure
to lay at the feet
of him who gives his life.
-excerpt from What Do I Want For Christmas by Ann Weems
How can I even begin to understand the joy of Christmas without first understanding what was at stake if God were not to have broken through the thin veil between heaven and earth, or how a young poor woman - brave as she was - changed the course of human history by simply saying “yes” to God? Truth be told, I cannot understand it when the world rushes by, when the days become shorter and the nights longer and darker, when the cosmos beg of us to simply slow down and wait. The entirety of God’s creation begs us to wait, it begs us to hunker down and joyfully wait for the hope that is about to burst forth with the birth of a small baby, with the birth of the one that saves us from not just death, but from ourselves as well.
But first we are asked to wait. Wait like the trees, after shedding their autumn glory to the floor of God’s earth. Wait like the bear who prepares her den for hibernation. Wait for the rivers and lakes to defrost from the cold harsh winter. Wait. Wait. Wait.
If we wait, preparing ourselves for the joy of the birth of Christ this Advent, we will be gifted with not just the birth of a messiah, but we will be gifted with the small things that come from the joys of that morning when all is made new again. We, with our humble hearts, we with our wisdom, we who yearn to kneel in Bethlehem before our Christ will find ourselves before the Child of Mary - before our God incarnate - able to understand the miracle that happened over 2,000 years ago, in a small village when the world had believed it was cast into darkness. Our Advent is real, our world is filled with darkness of fear and division, and yet it is the wisdom of each of us that will bring forth, once again, the power of a God that is for all peoples, all times, and all nations.
Here’s to a Holy Advent - filled with joy, anticipation, and hope.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Jason