It seems that we're fast approaching the end of the eleventh month and heading into the homestretch of this calendar year. It hardly seems real! There are Christmas Carols being played on several radio stations, and stores have already brought out their Yuletide wares! I read only yesterday that Santa has actually made an appearance at a large downtown department store - before Thanksgiving! (Didn't he get the memo? He's not supposed to appear before the Macy's Parade!)
Just yesterday (or so it seems) we were celebrating the New Year, making resolutions while watching the Wise Men saunter their way across the desert sands toward Bethlehem in search of the Child King at Epiphany (Jan. 6th). (Ok, some of us were watching football, but still...) A couple of breaths later, and we were marching through those dusty streets of Jerusalem on the way to the Cross, watching all our hopes and dreams get nailed into death and despair, only to rise again gloriously on the third day! In the very next breath (or so it would seem), we were rejoicing at the delivery of the Holy Spirit's Pentecostal power!
And here, after only a moment or two of school being in session again, we pause for a Thanksgiving break, preparing for that last mad dash toward Christmas and the end of the first decade of the 21st century, and wonder, "Where did the year go?"
To be sure, it went quickly. But let us not think that for a moment it went so for everyone. For some, it was a painful year. Loss of a loved one or home or job, financial difficulties that the news media cannot begin to fully and accurately report, and serious health issues have affected many in this past year. For others, changes in family relationships or in personal issues have been a difficulty that few outsiders could begin to understand. Still, the year has gone by. And the question that lingers around like the leftovers after a holiday feast, "What have we to look forward to?"
The answer to that question is complex, yet straightforward: "God." God is what we have to look forward to. Immanuel. God with us. The season of Advent begins a new year for us all, and a new opportunity to draw near to the stable with wonder. To ponder again at the miracle, not just of birth, but of the miracle of this birth. To see once again that God has not abandoned us, nor left us alone to fend for ourselves. God has provided. God has come to dwell among us. To give us hope, peace, joy, love, and life. Abundant and full life.
So, when you're out and about in the next few weeks as you do your routines to prepare for the holidays, and you begin to notice the holiday music, or become discouraged that the Spirit of Christ seems to be getting drowned out by the spirit of consumerism and commercialism, don't let the world win. Don't let the world take possession of your soul. Just remember that Christ is on his way to bring hope, peace, joy, love, and life to us all. It may be a mad dash at the marketplace, but God has an amazing sense of timing - sending us an infant savior right when we need him most! See you in Church!
Grace and peace,
Brad
