I’m just days away from Christmas, and I wanted to check in with you. It occurred to me that on the opening day of Advent, I was welcoming it with arms wide open, anticipating the slower pace that I wanted from it. So, how’s that slower pace of Advent going for me? Well. I’m snickering.
My Advent has had some messy, gun-powder packed sparklers along with those soft glowing, timeless moments of warm candlelight. All of it is light, am I right?
Advent hasn't been all neat and perfect.
The first week was cool. Calm. Then, my bank account and the Christmas gift list made the second-week tense. It wasn’t easy to reconcile, but it happened somehow. Week three the calm kept fading, but then it all hit me in the feels. I felt the strong pull to prep for my upcoming vacation, trying to locate the scotch tape and paper-cutting scissors again, and arriving to parties fashionably late.
And then it happened. I had scheduled holy communion with the precious people in my congregation who could not attend church.
Time stopped.
Time didn't really stop, but it felt like it. As I entered these ordinary, frail spaces, it was like entering an eternal, sacred space where time had no value, only love. I listened. I asked questions. I learned treasure troves of golden nuggets. I read good news from the good book. When I offered grape juice or wine for holy communion, dim eyes danced with, “Wine! Of course!” [insert giggles!]. Faded memories came alive reading the communion litany and reciting the Lord’s Prayer. Our souls were full from the little, mighty feast we ate. In parting, we were already longing for the next time.
I felt rested as I returned to my car and buckled my seatbelt. Where two or more were gathered, the Lord was there. And what we experienced was more than just the gathering together. It was the Spirit in our meeting together. We could chose to be freely authentic in all of its spontaneity and playfulness. Christmas had visited us with hope, peace, joy, and love.
Welcoming the chaos is not a bad thing.
As I drove away, the usual nuttiness of the holidays returned. I welcomed it. After all, Jesus, the Prince of Peace, was born into the incredibly chaotic census decree of Caesar Augustus. No point in being mad about it. Be authentic and curious in the tumult with eyes-wide for those ordinary opportunities where time stops.
That is where the Spirit is at.
How is it going with your Advent into Christmas? Crazy is not always bad. There can be loads of life in all of that action. Those fire-spitting sparklers are a lot of fun! Make sure you have some warm glowing candle moments, maybe even dancing multicolored light moments, too. Make simple plans to stop and receive the authentic, frail, and sacred in the season. Let time stand still. For some of us, we can see this coming because it's scheduled. For others, it will have to surprise us. Take us off-guard. When you recognize those eternal, timeless moments breaking in, welcome its spontaneity and playfulness. Let all of it enchant you, leaving you wanting more.
This is heaven come to earth.
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