Wednesday, December 18, 2024 – Advent Four
“For everything
there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, New Living Translation)
Only seven more sleeps. The delivery boxes are piling up. Are there
some for me?
For some inexplicable reason, I have
gained a reputation as a gift pincher at Christmas, a gift shaker. This hurtful,
character assassination even has even led my grandchildren to shout, if I but approach
the Christmas tree under which the gifts are displayed, “Grandpa is pinching!” Why,
I never…. well, almost never… once or twice, maybe, at the most…
Anticipation is part of the lure
of Christmas for many of us. Not just for what is under the Christmas tree, but
the expectancy of family gatherings or the joy of reunions or a visit from a
loved one, after some time away. The
date is clearly marked on our calendars. We keep ourselves busy preparing for
the Day itself. Some families may celebrate Christmas before or after for
practical reasons. But December 25th is the traditional date for everything
Christmas. It is what most of us aim for. That is the Day in which Christmas takes
place. You can’t hurry it. You can’t make
it come any quicker. Just ask any child who is excited about Christmas Day.
I think that it's worth the wait.
Then the Day unfolds its hope, peace, joy and love in all its splendour. It may
not always, sadly, be this way for everyone, but the potential is always there,
the Good News bursting in on our realties and raising us closer to God in a
myriad of ways.
I have always experienced a
different sense of time on Christmas Day. All has been prepared. TV is shut
off. The phone doesn’t ring unless it is family. No errands to run. Christmas
Day, in our families, is an all-day affair as we take our time to enjoy the
whole day. The Day unfolds in many peaceful ways. Okay, it gets a little boisterous
as the kids unwrap their gifts, but that too is part of the sacred “magic” of
Christmas. But even then, each person takes their turn and we watch as gifts
are unwrapped, so we can enjoy their pleasure or surprise, no great hurry. The
Day is capped off by a Christmas dinner. The post dinner experience is full of laughter,
conversation, and an overwhelming sense of thanksgiving.
It is worth the wait. One can’t and
shouldn’t rush these things.
For everything, there is a right
time to receive “what we can only get by waiting in faith for God to
complete his promise.” (Galatians 3:22)
“But when the time arrived
that was set by God the Father, God sent his Son, born among us of a woman,
born under the conditions of the law so that he might redeem those of us who
have been kidnapped by the law. Thus we have been set free to experience our
rightful heritage. You can tell for sure that you are now fully adopted as his
own children because God sent the Spirit of his Son into our lives crying out,
“Papa! Father!” Doesn’t that privilege of intimate conversation with God make
it plain that you are not a slave, but a child? And if you are a child, you’re
also an heir, with complete access to the inheritance.” (Galatians 4: 4 -7)
It seems to me that this is Paul’s
way of saying “Merry Christmas.” We use December 25th to celebrate this one-of-a-kind event, the
gift of Jesus Christ. He is the gift that keeps on giving, of course. But Jesus
is worth the wait as he brings with him an engaging presence, a rarefied contact
with God in person that makes the Day uniquely special and unlike any other.
If the shepherds had shown up at
the stable two days earlier, they would have seen nothing but an empty manger. And gone back to their sheep. Their daily lives
would have remained the same. But by the urging of angels they go on Christmas
Day, in search of peace and goodwill, in search of a Saviour, in search of the Word
made flesh. They weren’t disappointed.
“As the angel choir withdrew
into heaven, the shepherds talked it over. ‘Let’s get over to Bethlehem as fast
as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us.’ They left,
running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Seeing
was believing. They told everyone they met what the angels had said about this
child. All who heard the shepherds were impressed.” (Luke 2: 15 -18, The
Message Bible)
Advent is about the anticipation
of Christmas Day. Christmas Day is the actual experience of a Savior being born
in David’s town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master.
Until then, no pinching.
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