This Christmas will provide an experience like few before. Rambling about a different personal Christmas…
- Over the course of life, Christmas takes on different meanings.
- In younger years, anticipation often dominates as children greet the morning with excited spirits and expectations.
- But as life goes on, events have a way of tempering our emotions and attitudes.
- The annual mile marker takes on significant baggage and weight as the years pass.
- For me, I have experienced Christmas in many seasons of life.
- Once we celebrated Christmas ten days after my father passed away.
- Other times Christmas brings joy as others revel in the best gifts given and received. Excitement often abounds!
- Mostly for me, Christmas involves some attempt at sanity. I usually hope to find some sort of rest at Christmas time following the unusually busy months of November and December.
- The time off I usually take after Christmas involves connecting with family; it also involves self preservation.
- This Christmas feels no different. The pace certainly hasn’t slowed in the past year.
- But yet, despite the pace, I can definitely say this Christmas feels different. Why?
- Let’s start with the obvious. Our daughter has spent the better part of four months away from us after her entire eighteen year upbringing in our home.
- To have her home with us causes our hearts to leap, knowing we get to enjoy such special time. We look forward to new memories!
- I can put my finger on a couple other factors that will make this Christmas feel a bit different.
- What I’ll call “cultural wear and tear” lurks just below the surface of day to day conversations, planning, and thinking.
- This Christmas brings an added weight, feeling the further fraying of the fabric of our nation. Much material explores these dynamics, so I won’t delve deeper here.
- But in my position, I can easily feel responsible to navigate in a way others find helpful. How do I do that when I feel completely overwhelmed myself?
- Race, division, economics, elections, corruption — where to begin, what to say, how to process, where to have safe conversations. I FEEL that this Christmas.
- I also feel those dynamics affecting people around me. Of course that only makes sense.
- As a pastor I can easily find myself processing burdens not my own.
- I certainly do not mean this toward any specific people. Don’t waste your time interpreting these comments in a personal sense.
- I simply mean to say this year it feels like a lot. I know of A LOT of really heavy, personal burdens.
- I am not someone who can isolate himself emotionally from those burdens. And so, this Christmas will FEEL different.
- The inter-weaving of cultural dynamics, relational difficulties experienced by many people I know…
- Combined with the expectation of joy, excitement, and a happy experience…
- feels like a lot.
- Make no mistake. It will not be a drag. Or drudgery.
- I look forward to seeing how God will reveal Himself and open the door for opportunistic encounters.
- Even though looking to sort a few things out, I will find myself remaining vigilant in perceiving opportunities for encouragement and engagement.
- I have a hunch life sort of goes this way.
- One place I always go to see the tension between the present and eternity is Romans 8.
- See verse 18: For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
- Bad, good, bad, good. Pain, suffering, joy, hope, expectation.
- Sounds about right.
- Maybe I should just get used to it . . .