Advent 20, 21, 22 & 23

These last days have been full of the things that make Christmas busy: Christmas concerts and preschool parties and dinner out and church and baking and making treats and driving around looking at Christmas lights with hot cocoa in the thermos.  And so there is a bit less time for writing it all down, but still enough time to make space for thoughtful gratitude.

This afternoon on the radio, a man spoke about how Christmas is celebrated and pointed out that Christmas is not a day, but a season.  And indeed, this year, more than any before it, Christmas has been a season for me. A season of peace, really and truly. There are a few fails along the way, where judgey awfulness gets the upper-hand, or the pace of consuming becomes more than my soul can bear and I consider panic. But most of the way to the manger has been slow and peace-full, quiet and thanksmaking.

The verses that have been the readings for the last four days tell the story of the Magi. Three kings who follow stars and can drop in on Herod for directions and have dreams they believe that make them defy him. These three men make their own journey to the manger, carrying what they have to give all the way there, so that they can agree with the shepherds and the angels and Mary and Joseph that God Is Come, Emmanuel.  God is With Us Now!

It is joy-making for me to know that deep in my heart, I am excited to celebrate that wonder with my kids through these next hours.  I will whisper to them, so that their hearts can hear it, that we are celebrating Jesus showing up.  We are giving gifts to remember the great gift given all those years ago.  We are gathering together to share what we have, to break bread and pour wine, because when two or three are gathered, the miracle happens again and Jesus says that's where he is too. We are celebrating Christmas in joy, together.

Christmas is my favourite.


Matthew 2: 1 - 12

2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem ² and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”
³ When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. ⁴ When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. ⁵ “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

⁶ “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
    who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.’”

⁷ Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. ⁸ He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
⁹ After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰ When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. ¹¹ On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. ¹² And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.