Christmas Repost

From last years blogging, when my father was dying:

more thoughts

I decided it wasn’t fair to leave the blogging at that . You come here… you read… you ought to take something away with you, right? This is not just here for me, you know;)

So here is more: the combination of dealing with some family and the Christmas season highlights my motives… it places what I can and cannot do in a perspective, as well. Not that I am handling my emotions all objectively or anything like that ( because I plainly am not), but I see the usefulness of the situation.

Christmas is not about sparkle and good feelings at its core. Did you ever consider that? I don’t, usually, but my circumstances are given to it right now. And it is sort of comforting. To see that Jesus entered ths world with very unpleasant circumstances. The nerve of Caesar making it taxtime! Then, with all the wisdom of bureaucracy, making whole groups of families travel to whatever towns they originated from. The “no room in the inn” syndrome. Complicated with going into labor….. with your firstborn.

It is all so hard to imagine, if you try to view it in real time…. as though you were in it, rather than listening to the familiar story.

The cruel indifference of people. The crush of events out of your control. It is all there in the setting.

But it is because that is not all that is there that we get our comfort and joy. It is the fact that God is doing something, both wonderful and secret, and that there are those who hear and participate in it.

It rises above the harsh realities, and that is the substance of hope.

There is light and angel song, and a newborn baby who is set for something of importance. There is a father’s care and a mother’s love. God is seen to have a plan in all the chaos and despite all the problems. Rather, because of all the problems, He is there.

There is some comfort in all that. There is some promise of joy.

It just is waiting to be found and unwrapped. I am convinced of that.