A little reflection can be a good thing for anyone. It helps us remember where we've been and what we've done. It can be a pleasant thing that conjures up happy thoughts of times we've shared with friends or family. It can be an instructive thing as we recall incidents where perhaps we didn't put forth our best self. All of it, the good, bad and other becomes part of our story. And it is our stories that both define us and provide us with vision as we travel on.
My year has been dull by most standards, though those closest to me might say differently. I've watched my daughters grow and change, especially the one who is making plans to head off to college next Fall. Both of them give me great cause for joy as I see the beautiful, intelligent young women they are becoming. That's a good reflection.
My work is satisfying and I moved from a transient to more permanent state later in the year. This provides us with a little more stability but still allows me to pursue my passion for corporate learning engagements. I've become a valued resource both to my employer and the people who contract for my training services. Both are fulfilling.
My wife and I are fast approaching three decades together. That's quite a journey in and of itself. We know each other better after all these years and there is comfort in the consistency of our relationship. The progression of the girls toward young adulthood just amplifies that.
I'm thankful for friends we've connected with, especially those we sat down with across the table for a meal. Some we hadn't seen in years, yet those same years melted away like a light frost in the sunrise. I like those kinds of friendships because actual time and distance isn't really a factor that impacts the richness of the relationship.
I'm no prophet - and I don't pretend to know what the Crooked Path holds in 2015. But I do know the One who walks beside me and I trust him implicitly to be there just as he has been all along.
"Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself. The sheepherders returned and let loose, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen. It turned out exactly like they'd been told!" (Luke 2:19-20, The Message)
I love the old Christmas songs. They tell such a wonderful story. They bring joy to the lips of young and old. And so many of the favorites are just dead wrong. The picture they paint about Advent, while melodic, isn't the way it happened. Take, for example, "Silent Night" ...
Bethlehem probably hadn't seen that much activity in a long time. It certainly wasn't a mecca for travel or a tourist destination. Other than being the historical home of the beloved King David, it was that sleepy, dull town we've been told. And then Rome ordered a census. The rush was on to get back to wherever home was and check in - and pay up.
You can imagine that room prices doubled or tripled. Plus, since Bethlehem wasn't really set up for this many people, rooms were scarce to say the least. So when this lower-class couple with an "illegitimate" child show up, it's just one more guest that cant be accommodated. Amid the noise and bustle of this overcrowded town, a young and very pregnant girl is just another unlucky customer.
Then something happened we really don't quite understand. The innkeeper, for whatever reason, turns the couple to his cave stable. It's dark, dank and smells ... well ... like a stable, but it's someplace and that's what Mary and Joseph need. In the middle of the noise and smell of this place, she goes into labor and delivers her child into a noisy, crowded and probably cranky world (they were all there to pay taxes remember).
The shepherds scene adds to the frantic nature of it all. They come bursting in with some off-the-wall story about an angelic choir suspended in the air. Whatever creature was sleeping in that stable is probably wide awake now. And while our favorite songs have Jesus quietly sleeping, I'd say his human infant side was probably over stimulated to the point of crying. Then there was that boy with the drum ...
So Hope enters our world with the mission to be human, fulfill the law and do what we couldn't do for ourselves. The story is set to unfold as it has been planned since the beginning of time, and we have the chance this Advent to remember this entrance once again. It wasn't silent in any way, but it certainly was holy beyond compare.
Merry Christmas and may the Love, Joy, Peace and Hope of Advent fill your hearts and homes.
