Unvarnished Incarnation
I am like most Americans; I dream of a White Christmas, but not like "the ones I used to know"--only the ones I have heard songs about. I imagine chestnuts roasting on an open fire, not because I have ever done it, but again, because it is part of the American "mythos" of Christmas. I dream of creating the perfect Christmas experience for my wife, children and grandchildren just like Clark Griswald did, and like him, it usually ends in disaster and becomes the stuff we talk about this time of year, every year. This Christmas season has been different....It all started when the Christmas parade was canceled. Then one of our family events was canceled because of sickness. Then a good friend suddenly and sadly died. Then I was in a hospital pondering horrible sadness with another sick friend. And worse still, one of my children was in deep pain that I could not fix. So what do you do? I will tell you what you do. After you weep and fret, after you are sick of trying to control and sick of anxiety and worry, here is what you do: you take all the varnish off the sentimental myths of Christmas. You take all the tinsel, glitter and lights off your well-idealized expectations that all the circumstances of life will give you a month off, and you run to the story of God taking our flesh. What do you find there? Well, you'll just have to come Sunday to find out.Speaking of Sunday, you definitely want to be here. Once a year during Advent, we have a festival of music. This Sunday we celebrate the Incarnation in music and song. Old favorites and new friends will be here to help us ponder the mystery of Jesus' coming. I encourage you to invite a friend and come join us--it just might heal your heart a bit!