A Worthy Christmas

I see Advent as a plea to stop trying to make a Currier & Ives Christmas; to stop trying to make that picture-perfect moment and then calling that Christmas. I look around and see the mantle that was supposed to have that one little clever decoration that I couldn't locate. I realize that the presents won't fit under the small tree in my tiny house and they will have to be stored elsewhere. I won't be able to make my living room look like the cover of Sunset Magazine. I am resigned to the fact that I won't have time to make all those special gifts I was planning. The point is: I’m not “prepared” for Christmas in my estimation. But the important question here is: Am I prepared for the REAL Christmas?

I’m going to make the conscious choice on this Advent season to sit in the dark and quiet of the early morning, soaking in the peace and the PURPOSEFUL PASSIVITY OF WAITING FOR THE COMING OF THE GIFT. Those are the Christmas preparations I should focus on. Because at the end of the day, when the wrapping paper is wadded up in the garbage can and the leftovers are in the refrigerator, it will be the arrival of the Prince of Peace in my life and in my home and in those I love that will make a difference on this earth. It is the peace of His Holy presence permeating every fiber of my being and every moment of the holiday that makes it worthy of being called Christmas.

Spend some time "preparing" for Christmas

Spend some time outside with God today. Breathe deeply and take in the sky and the trees and the the feel of the wind on your face. Let go of all the stress and chaos and tasks that need to be completed. Just walk and breathe and let God breathe His peace into the core of your very being. Then tell Him you will wait for Him in holy reverence.

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“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,

because he has come to his people and redeemed them.

He has raised up a horn[c] of salvation for us

in the house of his servant David

(as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),

salvation from our enemies

and from the hand of all who hate us—

to show mercy to our ancestors

and to remember his holy covenant,

the oath he swore to our father Abraham:

to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,

and to enable us to serve him without fear

in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

Luke 1:68-75