We advented with our friends last night. We fed the kids first, and lit a candle with them and wondered a bit about peace. Then we sent the kids downstairs and wondered as grown-ups about peace - if Jesus showed up with peace this Advent, what would we want that to look like?
All the busy-ness is difficult to avoid - I think I trip across a half-dozen "How To Hate Christmas Less" articles a day, all of them counselling that we just say no to a few more things this year. But I think maybe they're missing the point. I mean, yes, we ought to avoid the Too Muchness of the season, and there's very little wrong with simplifying.
But the Jesus story isn't that Jesus showed up and suddenly the world got quieter. The dis-ease and conflict of his time didn't ease up. There weren't fewer weddings or synagogue meetings. The pace didn't relent. What changed was that Jesus was there. In midst of all the silly, there was the Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
This season brings demands that can be too expensive. But the chaos has its place in the story. In the middle of all that we can't afford, we are given the gift of Jesus. The one who brings the hope and the peace and the joy and the love - the currency needed to bear the cost of it all.
I'm sure it's wise and good to look for ways to limit the chaos. But I think this year, I'm going to put my energy into collecting the peace that is promised instead. The peace that is big enough for it all.
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