I think of how God has brought us through rejoicing and sorrow, through joy and through pain, through gains and through losses, and how through all these things his presence has remained the one sure unchangeable thing.

It’s this knowledge of an unchanging God that allows me to bless others and to wish everyone a Meaningful Christmas and a Blessed New Year.


 

2007 seems to have rushed by like a train in full speed and I find myself breathless at the thought of how in a matter of days the year will be over and archived in the past.

As we move towards Christmas day, it’s quite easy to get caught up in the hectic pace of rushing in and out from one store to the other as we look for the perfect present, the perfect centerpiece or the perfect recipe for the Christmas celebration.  

Sometimes the very air seems to resonate with an anxious note, as if the clock were ticking towards the end of the world instead of towards the start of a new year.  Shopkeepers, sensing commercial possibilities, heighten this feverish euphoria and put out signs proclaiming the start of sale season.

With all this buying going on, I find myself wondering what it is that we really are purchasing when we visit the shops and allow ourselves to be caught up in the buy, buy, buy phenomenon.  As we slide our cards through cash machines and pay for purchases, I wonder whether the amount of presents under the tree is truly representative of what is in our hearts.  What lies behind the preparations, the dressing up of the tree, the table, and the putting together of the perfect meal for the family get together?

In a manger, long ago, the Christ child was born.  The king had called for a census, and so the inns were filled to the brim with people who’d flocked to their birthplace.  Mary and Joseph were among the crowd headed for Bethlehem, and by the time they got there, it was so full the only place left for them was in a barn. I doubt Mary had a table spread with all sorts of delicious things to eat, I doubt she had a Christmas tree, in fact, I doubt she was even worried about things like these as she went into labor and gave birth to the Christ.

And yet, it was a feast to beat all feasts.  The angels announced his birth to a group of shepherds, and an unusual star led the wise men to where he lay.  In the midst of all these festivity and rejoicing, in the midst of thankfulness for the birth of the Messiah, his death was also prophesied, and I wonder how Mary must have felt upon hearing this.  

The book of proverbs speaks of how in the midst of gladness the heart aches.  This proverb has been a truth for us this year as we celebrated the birth of our second son and mourned over the loss of dear friends. As I address cards and write letters, I think of dear ones whom I’ll never see in this life again and of dear ones whom I’ll have to miss, and my heart aches even as I look forward to celebrating the birth of Christ.

I think of how God has brought us through rejoicing and sorrow, through joy and through pain, through gains and through losses, and how through all these things his presence has remained the one sure unchangeable thing.

It’s this knowledge of an unchanging God that allows me to bless others and to wish everyone a Meaningful Christmas and a Blessed New Year.