Time to begin all that Christmas stuff again
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. - John 1:14 (NAS95)
It’s time to begin all that “Christmas stuff” again.
I admit that I am one of many believers who each year struggles to grasp the wonderful truth of the Incarnation. How do we see His glory in the midst of all the perennial fuss? Every year we decry once again the fact that we seem to become less focused on His glory and more immersed in “getting it all done.” Every year we note our tendency to abandon the disciplines of prayer and Bible study in exchange for making lists and checking them twice. Every year all the books we’re reading and community life we’re enjoying and ministry we have been called to seem to get placed neatly on the shelf for the month or more of preparation for a day that consistently falls short of “seeing His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
Yes, we have tried to simplify- we no longer send mounds of greeting cards to people who are no longer a part of our lives. Our gift giving has been cut to the bare essentials and also has been extended more to those ministries who need our help. We discuss with our friends our mutual frustration and then go on in essentially the same mode. The reality of the experience of His incarnation continues to fall short of the image.
Perhaps I need to stop trying to reform Christmas from without. Perhaps I need an attitude change in the midst of things that I have been performing for many years. Perhaps I need to better see Him dwelling with us in His glory in the day to day activities of the season. The wonder of the Incarnation is in the ‘physical-ness’ of it all. He came and participated in real moments- in the boring routines of daily living, coming and going, making, doing, selling, fixing. Yet in the midst of it all His glory was illuminated; His light shown. Perhaps His glory will be evident if we would but open our eyes.
A few random thoughts come to mind:
• Consider the traditional activities (house decorating, meal planning, attending Lessons and Carols) as Memorial Stones, each year reminding us of the reality, the “physical-ness” of the Incarnation. As the Israelites piled stones as witnesses to the faithfulness of Yahweh, so we can attest to His faithfulness as we participate in these repeated activities.
• Remember as we place our regular lives and ministries on hold for a Season that He placed His ruling and reigning of the Universe on hold to become flesh and dwell among us. How much more interesting and stimulating it would have been for Him to remain in glory with the Trinity than to lower himself to taking on human flesh. Is there anything more worthy of our time and effort than “beholding the glory of the Father, full of grace and truth”?
• Remember as we shop, wrap, clean, cook, come and go, that He too came to serve. Serving our families and friends in the special get-togethers of the Season are opportunities to see His glory in the physical-ness of life.
• Bask in the Light. Even when the light comes while untangling strings of tree lights, this season touches on the wonder of His glory through the brightness of lights: candle lights, tree lights, store lights, glitzy trinkets and jewelry, outdoor lighting displays (tacky as well as artful). And don’t forget the spectacular light shows such as the sunset displayed in the accompanying photo in the beautiful mountains of Virginia. He came to drive back the darkness. Evil men love the darkness. Yet the Light cut through the darkness and still shines in our hearts and, during this crazy season, also shines in the physical-ness of light displays.
Can you (if you have not put aside your blogging for the season) help out here with your own experiences of seeing His glory in our Incarnation celebrations?
Trackback address for this post:
http://www.everysquareinch.com/htesi/trackback.php/205