Merry Christmas

I have been preparing my Christmas Eve sermon today, and honestly, I‘ve gotten a little impatient. Tonight is our final Midweek Advent service, and I think I’m going to need it. I need some time to sit in the wonder of advent… to wait and watch intentionally.

I hope you have had enough time to sit in the Wonder of Advent.

You see, while waiting and watching are not our favorite things to do, often it is in this time of stillness that we can truly prepare for the Wonder of Christmas! Sometimes we get so busy doing, buying, and preparing for others this time of year that Christmas can seem like just one more thing to be done for others.

While there is a blessed element in serving others in sharing with others, particularly this time of year, I have found that it is helpful, even necessary, to have a way to keep your “cup full” to be healthy spiritually, physically, and mentally. Consequently, our giving of self then is a blessing rather than a curse! As much as I can struggle with this, I have found that an essential part of this is to be still. To stop, for a moment, let the snowfall, the unfinished Christmas cards sit, and the cats climb the tree, be still, and know that God is God.

Maybe most importantly, it is critical to be still and know that God… is God for you. Sometimes we focus so much on the fact that God in Christ has come for all we forget that we, too, are a part of that all!

Pastor Edward Markquart tells a beautiful little story that helps drive this point home.

It doesn’t seem that long ago. It is as clear as yesterday. It was in the morning, 6:30, Sunday morning, and I heard the patter of little feet. And the patter of the feet came into the kitchen, and it was dark in our kitchen except for the light above the kitchen table. I was putting the finishing touches on the Sunday sermon, and the little child came in half asleep, and he said to me, “Where’s the scissors, Dad?” I gave him the scissors and he went over to where there was a chain which was made of paper, a paper chain link for each of the days of Advent, and he went and cut off the chain and he said, “Dad, one more day to Christmas!” And then that little boy got up into my lap, and he put his arms around my neck, and he just sat there and hugged me, for what seemed like five minutes of stillness and five minutes of love. And I put my arms around his little body and that child was my very own, my very own child, belonging to the world, belonging to my wife, belonging to his family, belonging to God, but also, belonging to me, my very own. And there was an inner glow of satisfaction deep within me.

And when you finally realize that Christ is your very own, not only for all the world, not only for all the shepherds, not only for all the angels, but when you realize that Christ is your very own, then there becomes a glow in your heart, and you begin to sing the Gloria.

In one of his sermons, Luther wrote, “This is what is meant by ‘Thy king cometh.’  You do not seek him, but he seeks you. You do not find him, he finds you. 

The Wonder of Christmas need not be made up of parties, crowds, or gifts, but rather in the still small voice of God that says, I have done all this in love through Christ for you.

Well, it is back to writing the Christmas Eve sermon!

Merry Christmas to you and to all!

Pastor David