How about that choir music at PLC this past Sunday??? Beautiful!! I had a slight advantage going into the service in that my husband brought the music rehearsal CD home a few weeks ago so he could learn his flute part. By far my favorite lyrics were, “Let us be joy to the world! Let us be peace on the earth!” What a neat combination of the familiar hymn sung in a new way! It tied right in with Pastor Rob’s exhortation to keep the story of Christmas fresh and new in our hearts!
I was thinking a little more about the familiarity of the Christmas story (in between coughing and sneezing this weekend), and the traditions that bring me so much joy at this time of the year. I don’t know about your family, but when my children were young we always traveled to be with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins during the holidays. There’s something magical about being together with those you know and love best, isn’t there? Even if those same people sometimes make you slightly crazy!
There’s a lot of comfort to be found in routine, especially during the holidays. But there’s also the danger of becoming inflexible, isn’t there? When Pastor Rob invited us to “share the story with others as if we just heard it,” I had to think for a few minutes about what that would look like in me. I mean, I’ve been a Christian a long time! Has my enthusiasm and wonder at the coming of God to be with us in human form become stuck in routine over time? Does my need for planning the holiday my way usurp the needs of others?
I heard on the radio the other day that there are over 10,000 homeless people in San Diego, many of them children. How can I be “joy to the world” to them? It will take all of us working together, won’t it? But with God, all things are possible. He proved that, didn’t he, when he was born in the most humble circumstances imaginable? Immanuel – God with us. May he be born is us – in new and wondrous ways – each and every day of this holy season and beyond!
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