Countdown to Christmas

Good Morning All,

20…19…18…17…16…15…the Countdown to Christmas is officially in the “Oh my gosh, where has the time gone,” zone! It’s getting more and more difficult to find that “holy time out” we’ve been talking about; and yet the opportunities for worship and enjoyable programs are still before us…after all, we just got started, right? Advent is only 4 days old, isn’t it? So, why is there such a sense of panic in the air…Maybe we’re caught up in “So much to do, so little time…” constantly ringing in our heads like the never ending sounds of the Salvation Army volunteer’s bells and the clanging of change being dropped in the red buckets… leaving us yearning more and more for just a few moments peace and quiet.

And yet, there is something that draws me into all the frenetic activity this time of year. Don’t get me wrong, I still need and crave any and all times when I can retreat and escape the hustle and bustle. In fact it’s the quiet moments that actually give me the strength to enter the chaos. But there is still some thing, some force, like a giant magnet, that seems to draw me into the fray.

For the last couple of years when I have visited NYC during the Thanksgiving/Christmas season, I took time to stand perfectly still, fixed in one spot, in the middle of Times Square at night; in the midst of all the lights; flashing billboards; the endless cacophony of horns honking, music blaring, bells ringing, people shoving and plowing through the crowds, street vendors crying out, “Rolex, Rolex, Rolex! Special price for you! There I stood…taking it all in…this is New York City ! And as crazy as it may sound, I became energized; renewed by all that was happening around me!

Holiday preparations are like this for me…I often look for those moments at the Mall or in the middle of some specialty store or grocery; in the midst of all that is whizzing by, to step back, rest on a bench, take it all in and somehow gain energy from it all. I see and hear many things…some good and heart warming; some not so good, filled with tension and anger…

The spiritual preparations for this sacred season do the same for me…taking time in the middle of all the demands; all our concerns, challenges and sadness; any and all that calls us into the upheaval; to somehow take it all in, sit with it all for a while and then pausing to listen, really listen… for God calling us into a deeper, more meaningful relationship with God and each other; to hear God’s voice whispering in our ears…reminding us that this is the time when heaven and earth are one; where all our hopes and fears are met together; as we seek peace, a true sense of well-being; as we are filled with great joy and celebrate the love of God born once again in our hearts and minds…

This is the miracle of Christmas; Christ coming into this time and this place; taking the stuff of life, every bit of the good, the bad and the ugly and transforming us, healing us, energizing us as we become agents and vessels of God’s hope in the world…May you receive Holy Energy from the chaos as we journey to Bethlehem and encourage others to travel with us…Come and see what God has done! Blessings, Joanne