Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Wed Dec. 22 Celebration (Stevie Wonder)



"I feel like running wild,
as anxious as a little child....
I wish you a Merry Christmas, baby
and such happiness in the coming year."  -What Christmas Means to Me

          Let's not forget the joy. During Advent there is a lot of ambiguity, a lot of facing of brokenness, hoping for the future, all of which AMP has pressed into for almost four weeks now. But lest we get stuck in that loop and forget, today let's give ourselves a little permission to live into the celebration.  There is much to celebrate in this season. Now to be clear, I am not referring to the happiness of receiving that gift you really wanted, or the temporary truce, glad-to-be-good-right-now moments at some of our family gatherings, or even the warmth we extend to guests at the soup kitchen; these are wonderful moments but they can easily turn, becoming moments of disappointment, toppling into patterns of brokenness or passing into cold inconstancy. We observe moments as a doorway into a deeper and more abiding celebration.
     
           In Advent and at Christmas, we REJOICE in the message of the babygod, whose birth was joyfully announced to the shepherds so long ago; the message of hope that the world will be redeemed, the message of grace that we are beloved by our creator.  This is the ABIDING JOY to which we return each year, that it might be born in us anew as we peer into the manger. 
       
            This joy undergirds our season, runs through the hustle and bustle of our days and waits quietly in our moments of pain and longing. This joy peeks out at us from the usual places: candles burning low and singing sweet Silent Night as well as unexpected places like an impromptu conversation or a moment of stillness late at night. For me, rocking a sweet baby girl, sharing a meal cooked with love, laughing at my coworker's truly hilarious joke, all these things and more, are reminders to rejoice this season. These mostly small moments, and few big ones, point to the Love that holds the world in it's grasp, the peace that grow as Love connects us, and the hope of the promise that Love transforms us all. That's what Christmas means to me and that is worth celebrating
       
             As we draw close to Christmas, let us savor the moments of joy, big and small. Listen to Stevie, smile, dance a little, if you feel it. This is a season of joy, what does that mean to you?



"Do not be afraid, I bring you good news of great joy that shall be for all the people"  
              -Luke 2:10

                                       -Lindsey

1 comment:

  1. I just want you to know that you have brought me a moment of joy - not only with your message - but with you delightful use of the word "babygod." All I can say is goodbye praying to "Baby Jesus" and hello "babygod!"

    ReplyDelete