12 Days Of Christmas: Joy

"...the angel [..] said, 'I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior -- yes, the Messiah, the Lord -- has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!'"

- Luke 2:10-11

"Shhh! Be still. All is well. I am here. Do not be afraid. There is absolutely nothing in life or death that will ever come between you and the love of God made visible before your eyes in this manger today."

- God's Christmas Day whisper

It was the annual Christmas play at church. As we took our seats you could smell the pine aroma from the evergreen trees on stage as the organ played, "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear." As parents looked anxiously around, small children began to shuffle down the aisles dressed in multi-colored bathrobes, holding aluminum shepherd staffs. A confident 6th grader bellowed, "And there were in the same country, shepherds abiding in the fields...." Then another little voice rang out, "And lo, the glory of the Lord shown round 'bout them." As a trail of preschoolers tripped in, wearing white sheets, paper wings, and coat-hanger halos, a young voice shouted, "Behold! I bring you good tidings of great Joy!"

It was then, that one little guy, dressed in bright colored fabric wearing a gold-painted cardboard crown marched forward, raised his arms...and then....Froze...like a deer in the headlights...you could see the panic on his face...and then suddenly he smiled and declared, "And what to my wondering eyes should appear but a miniature sleigh and 8 tiny reindeer...."

If you're a little confused this year, you are not alone! Long-standing traditions have taken a back seat to social distancing. That small mom and pop bakery we got most of our Christmas goodies has disappeared in the wake of government shutdowns. Amazon has made Christmas shopping at festive Malls obsolete. Not even Mariah Carey's, "All I Want for Christmas is You," could prevent that brown UPS truck from becoming Santa's new sleigh. This pandemic, it seems, has changed everything about Christmas!...almost.

As I walked in the door from work this week, Candace said, "You've got to see how Shiloh (our 3 year old granddaughter) rearranged our traditional nativity set." Apparently, earlier in the day, after studying our nativity, she looked at Candace and said, "Gramma, can I do it different?" "Sure," Candace replied.

Well...The nativity that Shiloh rearranged was nothing like the traditional one with the stable and a star and an angel on top. Completely missing was the cow, the sheep, the donkey and the 3 wisemen....not to mention Mary and Joseph!...instead there were two lego guys, a stuffed hedgehog, a fuzzy rabbit, a polar bear, a Barbie in a swimsuit, a teddy bear with one eye missing, Mickey and Minnie Mouse were there and a doll named Lutzy....And they were all in a really tight circle...leaning in and over...the Baby Jesus

Shiloh reminded me that in a Christmas that, at least this year, feels very different...the most important thing remains the same...Jesus is still the Center of Shiloh's world! If it was Good News of Great Joy that Jesus was born in a stable for us 2000 years ago....then Shiloh's right.

His presence with us today, right where we are, remains the source of our Joy today!

Rearrange your life and make Jesus the center of your world this Christmas by praying this simple prayer:

Lord Jesus,

It's a different Christmas in a lot of ways,

But not in the most important way.

You came at Christmas, for me,

as my Rescuer and my God.

So, I invite you to rearrange my life,

And put Yourself at the Center of it!

Amen...and Merry Christmas!

Pastor Harry

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