Happy New Year everyone.
As I have been taking a little time to spend with family over this Christmas break I must admit it has been busy. With all the planning that many people spent on Christmas only to have parts of it interrupted. It is always a busy time, planning services, dinners, visiting, catching up, giving of presents and the such. But this year I was confronted with a few truths. With many storm stayed, separated from families, and well laid plans that were suppose to be fulfilled in a certain time, they weren’t.
In the Western Church we celebrate Christmas on December 25th, but this is not so for everyone. Even the different practices and traditions are not universal, yet people risked their lives and others and were heart broken when the plans to be present on Christmas did not work out. The pressure that we have put on Christmas seems wrong all of a sudden. I am not against Christmas and celebrating the birth of Jesus, but there was a quote from a movie that puts Christmas into a wider perspective, it is not just one day a year but it should be everyday. I am not saying that we are to give presents, and have grand feasts everyday, as much fun and work as that would be. But if we are trying to stuff all of our love and giving into one day, we are missing the point of Christmas. God came in Jesus, not for one day but for lifetimes, for eternity.
The Christmas Eve service that people had stressed over, happened. Not as planned, not as full, not with the expected people but it happened. For some it was just what they needed. For others it may have fallen far short of what they expect. But on Christmas Eve, not for an hour but for many hours people lived in the gift of Christ, in the true gift of Christmas, where God’s love is shared with strangers, with people who have little in common but a storm and a desire to be welcomed. I am sure that if this happened on any other day the welcoming would be the same but on Christmas we are reminded of a fragile traveller who changed history and this happened for many people this past Christmas. Their lives were touched by God’s grace and love.