What I Want for Christmas

Our house is dark this year.  So far there are no sheep (homemade ones - not live ones grazing on the lawn), no lights, no tree....not much of anything symbolic of the season to speak about. I have been finishing up my shopping though, and pretty much everything is wrapped and tucked away.  Shopping for the people I love is my favorite part of Christmas as long as I can get it done before the crowds get cranky....ok....they were already cranky on Black Friday. I had most of my shopping done by then, I'm just browsing for little things now. Part of the darkness is not of our choosing.  We seem to be experiencing electrical issues outside.  Even the lights that shine all year are not working.  The darkness outside is creeping inside though, and so I've been assessing my own attitude towards Christmas.  It is Advent after all.

Christians celebrate Advent five Sundays.  Each Sunday has a theme.  There is a reason for this, and as I have pondered each of them I have realized that they whisper to me what I really want for Christmas.

Hope - It has been said that all hope is lost for humanity.  I disagree.  As long as there is breath, there is hope.  As you know, I believe that there is always - ALWAYS - something to be thankful for.  Hope is a light that shines before us to show us the way even in our bleakest moments. Sometimes it may be only be the flicker of a single candle.  Pause......Breathe......Pray.....Listen.....Let the flame grow.

Joy - Christmas is celebration.  Children show us their joy without hesitation.  Their eyes shine with delight, and their wonder doesn't have to be expressed with words.  It is evident in their whole being.  As a grandparent, I can't help but look forward with anticipation to share my grandchildren's delight.  Children still believe.  They still wonder.  They still love with wild abandon.

Peace - Yep, I believe in peace too.  It seems an impossible dream to believe that peace can happen for our world, but we need to believe that peace is more than an old-fashioned sentiment on Christmas cards.    Peace starts with each one of us.  We must recognize the value of all people.  This doesn't mean that everything is acceptable.  It does mean that we look at each person through God's eyes.  For decades we have taught our children the song, "Jesus Loves the Little Children."  We are all God's children.  As adults, do we no longer believe that Jesus loves the children of the world?  Peace is a prayer that begins with me.

Love - When I found the family of my birth, I made a startling discovery.  These people had loved me for all those years, even though I had lived with the assumption that I was long forgotten.  Being loved and loving is messy business.  We're human.  We make mistakes.  Love requires forgiveness, but it also means not jumping to conclusions.  No matter how close we are to someone, there is no way to know another person's deep feelings, their thoughts that are unexpressed, or their relationship to God.  It's impossible.  The task at hand is to simply love them.  

The magic of Christmas isn't in Santa at all...it's in the transformation of people to become, well, People.  Strangers will open doors, offer food, donate money, hold places in checkout lanes, and let cars go in front of them - no display of digits even - Amazing!  There are no questions of whether the person is gay, has a hidden tattoo, goes to church regularly, lives in a shack or a huge fancy house, or has a college degree.

So what do I want for Christmas? I want to approach a simple manger, and kneel to look into the newborn eyes of Jesus with new eyes of my own.  I want to breathe in the air made fresh by the Spirit and worship the King who brings hope for the world.  I want to believe in the miracle, and I want to experience the abundant joy of children.  I want to love with wild abandon, and reach out and offer peace to all that I encounter. I want to pause to listen.  Maybe I'll be able to hear the joy of the angels singing their hosannas! I want to live a life of Hope, of Peace, of Love, and of Joy with Christ at the center.

Merry Christmas!

Gratitude for:
- A husband who holds me in his arms as I cry.
- My gift of creativity.....even my sometimes gift of too much creativity!
- A warm home complete with an electric blanket.