Let me clear the air a bit of the Advent/Christmas fog. I am consistently hearing from good Christian folks that Advent, these precious days leading toward Christmas, are special days to get busy by preparing ourselves. While I understand the logic, too often feels like a “Santa Clause religion.” You know the drill, Santa is going to find out who is naughty and nice and then there will be sort of judgment day on Christmas Eve, so you better be good. I hear the church echoing some of the same insights such as; you better get busy and be productive for Christ, you better prepare the way of the Lord, you better forgive, attend, witness, and offer or else you might miss the “real” Christmas. In a strange humorous way, as a superintendent for the church, I can appreciate the guilt path of “you better be good,” because many times it works. However, as a theologian and child of God, I am here to proclaim it just isn’t so. Christmas doesn’t need our good works, our good gifts, or our good anything. Truth is you/we do not deserve Christmas, not a bit. Truth is we cannot seem to do much of anything worthy of God’s love, never have. And this is the power of the season. Christmas is something God is doing and we cannot change a single thing about it. It will be what God wants it to be. Period. And that is grace so large my eyes begin to leak water.
I do not give myself to the season because God needs me to do so. I give myself because I believe in Jesus Christ as the Lord of the entire world. My faith is secure that Jesus came to save all people, those who care and those who do not; those who sing in choirs and those who curse in darkness; those who give with all their hearts and those who have yet to find their hearts, let alone their ability to give.
My heart tells me to sit quietly and listen for the voice of God during this season. My soul wants to sing praise to God, not of my need to act. “Get busy or miss the season”; sounds like more Santa talk to me.
“Come and sit here by me Mary. Sit and listen to what your heart is telling you. Martha, come quickly and join your sister Mary. She has chosen the better path which will never be taken away from her.” My paraphrase of Luke 10:38 FF
