THE SOLEMNITY OF THE NATIVITY OF
OUR LORD
CHRISTMAS
At the root of it all, isn’t Christmas about surprise?
How
surprising that in such an un-extraordinary way God chose to enter the human
situation…to know it from the inside. It
is WAY too particular for my comfort.
Why Mary? Why Joseph? Why Bethlehem for God’s sake! Why Jesus?
Why a dirty stable, or hut in a field, or broken down garage? Why?
SURPRISE!
But
after my (very un-poetic and unimaginative) questioning it might sink in. When it comes to Christmas it is best if I
bring along my ability to wonder, and my open and receptive body.
Last
night I was reminded…in a BIG (albeit very small and quiet) way.
Her name is Grace. And she is almost 5 years old. She played Mary in our family’s traditional (and messy) rendition of the Lucan Christmas story. But was Grace ‘playing’ Mary? With imagination and wonderment, and openness, SURPRISE! She WAS Mary.
Her name is Grace. And she is almost 5 years old. She played Mary in our family’s traditional (and messy) rendition of the Lucan Christmas story. But was Grace ‘playing’ Mary? With imagination and wonderment, and openness, SURPRISE! She WAS Mary.
After
swaddling the hard ceramic Jesus in a bit of cloth, she laid him in the itchy manger
and knelt there, gazing for an amount of time downright unnatural for a 5 year
old! Not moving. Palpably pondering. Still.
Focused. With truly breathtaking
openness, awe and wonder. All twenty-six
of us were surprised! All twenty-six of
us were gifted.
So much
to learn from the ‘little’ ones among us.
Thank
you Grace!
Thank you for reminding me just how surprising GOD AMONG US really is!
Thank you for reminding me just how surprising GOD AMONG US really is!
“Mary
treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart” Luke 2:19
Pondering:
So quiet
Not
rushed and anxious
Open
Patient
Heavy
but not burdensome
To be
more of a ‘pondering’ sort…not a bad thing to lean into;)
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