So what has changed because of our momentary pause for Christmas? I ask myself that question, fully aware that we are still in the midst of a pandemic that is taking so many of our loved ones from us, a political situation that crawls more slowly toward an end than we have ever known, and an economy that threatens our lifestyles in more ways than we care to discuss. Yet as I sit here typing away, the sun continues to play on my words, playing peekaboo with the clouds, to remind me, I think, that all is not lost and Christmas really did mean something this year.
The conclusion that I have come to after diving into today’s lectionary readings which are full of murder and mayhem (on this feast of St. Stephen) is that life goes on as it should, teaching us again that God is not absent and we are inching toward understanding bit by bit. Christmas provided a pause that we needed, to help us remember God’s willingness to remain with us and calling us to “stay the course” until things right themselves again. We are being shaken into our role in that awakening, I think, and yesterday provided a “rest stop” for us to re-group for the next part of the challenge.
You may disagree with me on these images of “what is” but I truly think we are called to learn by living — sometimes in trial and some in bliss. Bliss may be somewhat of an exaggeration but if we come to see life from the inside rather than being spectators, we may well be much better off when the challenges come. The long and the short of it is, I think, the role of perspective. How do you perceive expectations? How is life supposed to be? I am, I think, more peaceful today, even in the face of serious challenge, than I was on Wednesday, and I want to meet the day with affirmation.
May the sun continue to shine for you today!
Today we have a strange confluence of Church events. This morning we celebrate the Fourth Sunday of Advent when we normally prepare to wait a little longer for the celebration of the Incarnation. We have, however, by liturgical rules and the calendar, run out of days before December 24th – Christmas Eve – which ushers in what is never a moveable feast: Christmas Day! So perhaps we are brought up short in our spiritual preparation and need to step back to assess our readiness.
One might call the hymn “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” the theme song of Advent since it is sung throughout the season of Advent in almost any Christian Church. Perhaps not everyone knows all seven verses or that the lyrics come from these symbolic titles we have been considering for the past week. Today, however, we are in familiar territory. Many of us know that Emmanuel means “God with us.”
Plants are amazing metaphors, I think, for the seasons of our lives. I have only two green plants in my bedroom now and although I smile at them and greet them as I come and go, I am sometimes rather inattentive. Happily, I know they are both always willing to forgive me. One is a Christmas cactus that is not a great indicator of the coming feast as it tends to flower at Thanksgiving – or sometimes whenever the inclination to burst forth gets hold of it. This year, however, it seems to have heard the Advent cry of “Come!” and, although with only one bud, is right on schedule to flower around – if not on – the actual feast of Christmas. I am always surprised at the budding and never mind whether or not it skips a year or comes unexpectedly because it is strong and requires very little care. Steadfastness is its gift to me.