Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all of you who read this blog, however frequently or infrequently. Thank you and may God bless you.

If you have been following the advent series, well it all comes to an end now as we celebrate the birth of Christ. Just as the shops wind down, so does the church calender and so should we. Much of this season is business and things that are external to us. But now comes the moment to pause by the manger and reflect on what is going on within us.

This season, as I’ve reflected on those we see around the scene, Mary, Joseph, the Shepards and the Wisemen, what has hit me over and over again is their humilty. In a sense they are all resigned to fates they did not choose, facing the reality of the little they could offer the saviour at his birth. Mary would have wanted so much better for her son and the circumstances are far from what Joseph would have hoped for. The Sherpards led a simple life and could not offer much and though the Wise men could, their knowledge would have humbled them to the reality of how little they were really giving to the child.

In the same way every Christmas is less perfect than we would have hoped, but it is what it is nonetheless. Perhaps the season is so hard for so many because it always manages to turn a mirror upon the darkest parts of our own soul. We feel discomfort not because of the season, but because of what sits uneasily within ourselves.

May our Christmas not just be a time of happiness and merriment, may it also be a time when we can honest with ourselves and with those we love.

[tags] Advent, Christmas [/tags]