Dear Members and Friends.
Grace and peace to you!
Oh, there’s no place like home for the holidays,
‘Cause no matter how far away you roam,
When you pine for the sunshine of a friendly gaze,
For the holidays, you can’t beat home, sweet home.
Everyone is trying to get home for the holidays, particularly Christmas, to be surrounded by their family and loved ones! At least, that seems to be the plot of many holiday movies. There are so many that they even outnumber how often I’ve heard Perry Como crooning Home for the Holidays in the last week! Getting there is almost always a great challenge as the protagonist(s) faces peril and tough choices to reach their destination. Time and time again, their mission appears to be in jeopardy until providence intervenes and disaster is averted.
Sometimes, as in the case of various adaptations of A Christmas Carol, the journey is metaphorical. An individual, or group, is forced to search deeply within and wrestle with ghosts from the past, their present reality, and an imagined future before experiencing transformation. The result in these heartwarming stories is life-altering, helping them to be at home with themselves and others.
Providence, as I speak of it above, is frequently attributed to holiday magic, a Christmas miracle, the Christmas spirit, or even Santa Claus. All these are merely characterizations of a powerful force at work impacting and influencing events to unite people together in love. Our culture is so desperate for hope and enamored with romantic love that entire channels or streaming apps exist to give us bliss year round.
We can hardly be blamed for wanting to feel joy when the world we live in is so full of division, hate, and suffering. However, salvation does not come easily. Before we arrive at the manger and see love’s one true light, we must go through the season of Advent. Birth does not come without a season of expectation, waiting, and ultimately pain and struggle before the cries of a newborn are heard.
Advent is a season of preparation not only to welcome the Christ child, but to get us ready to greet the Messiah upon his return. The hymns of Advent reflect the cries of the prophet to repent and make one’s heart right before the Lord. As much as we may want to run ahead to the manger, they call us to follow the star and ponder God’s activity within a world in need of redemption. May the peace of God makes us holy in every way as we journey to Bethlehem, and the power of the Spirit sustain us until the coming of our Lord Jesus.
Faithfully,
John