Christmas Eve 2022. That feels like a line from the future or the Jetsons or something. We can’t possibly be nearly a quarter through the 21st century. I don’t know about you all but some of this year feels like it creaked along and I was stuck in the middle of. . . well. . . I don’t even know what that was. Other times it seems that the year has flown by and everything has just fallen into place. It is weird how life can be these extremes at the same time. I think the older I get the more comfortable I am getting with these paradoxes.
Tonight I shared a quick Christmas story thought at Liberty Vineyard after we played this crazy game that got people all jazzed up. I had no idea that people would get so into it. Basically people from all generations were opening Christmas gifts with oven mitts. Who knew? 😊 In response to the Christmas narrative, I was drawn to the imagination and how what it must have ben like to experience first hand some of these events we hear in December year after year. The stories have been told for over 2000 years now across the globe and hearing and telling that story once more felt like holy, holy ground. Still the story keeps us imagining, engaging, wondering.
The paradoxes of the Christmas story are immense.
A baby. . . . a King.
Glory. . . . humility.
The miracle of life. . . massacre of innocent children.
A dark night. . . the star of Bethlehem.
A Savior. . . .a people oppressed and lost.
Hope. . . hopeless.
Love. . . hate and evil.
An empire of oppression. . . a Kingdom bringing liberation.
The list could go on. Christ came. He is with us. The paradox of Jesus intersects with our own.
The last few years have been a time of my life where I have been able to enjoy the rewards of years of labor, all stemming from the grace of the Christ child. These years though have also been a season of some of my darkest nights. Both are happening simultaneously. No wonder people in our world are so anxious. It is tough to take in the range of experiences that come our way. I am so thankful this Christmas, and every moment, that Christ is our peace. . . .the Prince of Pease. He makes sense out of the paradoxes and brings meaning to what I often conclude as meaningless.
So here I am again, imagining. . . entering into this story afresh. In the darkest nights and the mountain crests, Jesus is King. The image of God gets reflected in such ordinary, humble ways. This is Christmas. Merry Christmas 2022. . . now and into the future. 😊
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