Happy Christmas!

     

I choose the UK usage of the word happy in my title to avoid the US leaning toward merry which, to me, smacks of the bibulous.

      How well I recall a moment when a close friend of mine was asked in the presence of a clutch of children and office colleagues what she wanted for Christmas. She didn't hesitate, and with shining eyes and a voice that all could hear, replied: “Christmas itself!” 

      Nowadays, with Halloween and Black Friday offering some stiff competition, I find myself thinking more deeply than ever before, “So, what really is the season of Advent and Christmas all about, and what role should it be playing in our daily lives?”

      Those questions are admirably answered in a booklet issued this year by Christianity Today (CT) magazine which offers four weeks of daily devotions for the season, along with related scriptural selections and weekly ideas and activities for families and small groups.

      By the way, for Christians, Advent begins on the Sunday that falls between November 27 and December 3 each year, and lasts for four Sundays leading up to Christmas.

      The contributors to the booklet include several widely respected Christian leaders, among them, CT’s editor-in-chief, Mark Galli, who sets the tone: “Advent is the season designed to help us remember our first hope, to rekindle that longing, to learn to pray again ‘thy kingdom come’ with the fervency of the early church.”

      Wendy Alsup, a teacher and religion writer, focuses on the goal of peace and quiet mentioned in the third chapter of Zephaniah in which the Israelites celebrate the day on which  God helps them overcome their fear of judgment and their enemies: [The Lord] will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love (3:16, ESV). 

      Alsup writes: “In this busy season, we can find rest by believing in the enduring simplicity and rest of that day. … It is even now breaking into our busy reality. Love God. Love neighbor. In His name, our responsibilities simplify.” 

      Nashville-based singer and songwriter Sandra McCracken tells a sweet story about a frustrating visit to the department motor vehicles (DMV). God’s work isn't slow as the DMV is slow, she says, drawing upon 2 Peter 3:9.

      “God’s patience is intentional and measured for good,” she writes. “We can establish our hearts in God’s presence even when it feels like we’re stuck in a waiting room chair. We can trust God. He’s got things under control, and He’s with us while we wait.” 

      McCracken continues: “Advent is an invitation to make space for rest and relationship. Whether it’s in the solitude of a walk in the woods or in the noise of family life, God provides the grace to love and be loved as we wait for Him.”

      Then, as she surveys her writing desk (littered with the evidence of unfinished thoughts and life’s interruptions), she has a final, fresh thought: “God doesn’t leave things unfinished. He doesn't lose track of what He sets out to accomplish. He is committed to the last page. He has already written the final word, and He is bringing this story to completion.” 

      Krish Kandiah, a UK-based theologian and public speaker, especially concerned with ministry in urban environments, remarks on God’s habit of using the small and inconsequential to confound the large and powerful. 

      He reminds us that it was from the little town of Bethlehem that God chose David, the littlest son of Jesse. David’s own father considered him so insignificant he didn’t even mention him to the prophet Samuel. Yet God chose this unlikely lad to be a mighty warrior and a king. 

      “This Advent,” writes Kandiah,” as we consider Bethlehem, we can take heart that however insignificant we feel, or however minor our work for God seems to be, God notices us, and, in His grace, weaves us into His grand scheme of history.” 

      Kandiah concludes: “Advent and Christmas can often be a season in which we especially focus on ourselves and our family. But beating at the heart of the Christmas story is a call to make sure the nations know the Messiah.”

      This Advent, he asks, how will you play your part in God’s international mission and raise the banner of Christ for the nations?

      Could there be a more stirring challenge than that!

      I wish you all a truly happy Christmas.