Christmas Eve

It is Sunday evening, Christmas Eve.  Chuck is at the grocery picking up something for us to eat after church and I have been sitting and just pondering it all. 

In about an hour or so we will go to church at my old church - Karl Road Christian Church and I will sit with two daughters and three granddaughters and my husband and hear the ancient story and sing the familiar songs of this night. This has been a different advent for me - starting with a wonderful retreat and including worship at First Community Church which has been very meaningful.  But other than that I have not had a regular daily spiritual practice.

That is what I was pondering as I sat preparing myself in a different way for our worship tonight.
The story of the nativity is one that is always rich for me as I have preached over the years about the various characters - the angels, Mary, Joseph, shepherds, wise men.   I have thought about the different ways that people come to Bethlehem  and the themes of the weeks - peace, hope, love, faith,. I love the dreams and angels and stars that move the people forward and then the picture of the vulnerability of the baby in a stable surrounded by a motley group of people who have limited understanding of who he is.

Now, tonight I wonder what Christmas has for me in 2017.  I started re reading a book in my library "The Monastery of the Heart: An invitation to a Meaningful life" by Joan Chittister.  The first chapter ends like this:

Life grows us more and more - 

but only if we wrestle daily 

with its every-daily meaning for us.

God is calling us to more

than now.-

and God is waiting 

to bring us to it.

"Listen"  the Rule says,

"If you hear God's voice today,

do not harden your hearts."

So, my prayer for tonight is that I might LISTEN  for the call of what MORE God invites me to experience.  It is a night of celebrating the birth and a night to understand that again Jesus can come into our hearts in a new way.

May we receive him tonight.

Merry Christmas!

How silently, how silently
The wondrous gift is given
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of His heaven
No ear may hear His coming
But in this world of sin
Where meek souls will receive him still
The dear Christ enters in