TEN DAYS TO CHRISTMAS

It's 10 days to Christmas!

I just returned home from one of those parties thrown by church members for pastors-- with "the sole purpose of overstuffing their servant leaders with special food!" to quote one of my colleagues. I walked into an elevator on the ground floor already full of people carrying gifts of every kind. I was carrying a fruit box, two boxes of brownies (which I gave to the security guards at the lobby), chocolates and a new BVLGARI™ leather wallet!

It's 10 days to Christmas!

I have a somewhat different take on Christmas this year. It is sort of surreal in a way. I am in the midst of it but it's as if I am on the outside looking on. Standing in the middle of the mall while waiting for the servers to fix our table for lunch I observed how rushed every one seemed. I got to thinking about all the busy-ness of the season and all that we put into it.

It's 10 days to Christmas.

And I concluded that Christmas busy-ness is a part of the intricate web of anticipation inspired by a time when everything can potentially go well. The wonder and waiting and yearning for Christ to come again into the world and into our lives.

It's 10 days to Christmas.

Sort of begs the question: where do we go on from here? It seems difficult to think about going back to business as usual. Having been stirred with hope and the confidence of God’s presence, how do we get back into the real world and keep the Spirit of Christmas alive?

It's 10 days to Christmas!

Within the comforts of my home I stood drinking a cup of hot green tea admiring the twinkling Christmas lights decorating the palatial homes around Greenhills and the beauty of the clear night sky! And I began to think reflectively- WHAT COULD CHRIST HAVE BEEN THINKING, SAYING OR DOING ON THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS? Was He as busy as we all are with things we probably shouldn't be? What could be happening in heaven before Christ stepped down on earth? I'll blog about it tomorrow!