One More
Thought
I love Advent
and Christmas. Truly. I love the music, the food, the parties, the special worship times, the reflection on what “incarnation”
really means. I love the wreaths and
candles, the marking of time, the waiting and approach of Christ, the sense
that something special is in the air. I loved our first Los Angeles Christmas
this year, with all of our kids here with us.
I loved walking outside on Christmas night with Anne, out into the dark
garden and noticing the stars in the sky. We stood there for a minute, and then
looked back at our brightly lit house, with the kids laughing and enjoying one
another inside. Loved it. And I love the Christmas story that we
revisit each year, which is probably why I have one more thought in that regard
before the year draws to a close.
Sometimes
we see things more clearly when we are offered two options to contrast. Case in
point: the spiritual advisors of King Herod versus
the magi from the East. Matthew’s
gospel says that when Herod heard the disturbing rumor that a “king of the
Jews” might be arriving, he gathered his religious counselors- chief priests
and teachers of the law- to inquire about it.
I suspect that these were folks who had curried some favor in the royal
court, and enjoyed being called upon as experts. And they knew their stuff- they turned
immediately to the prophet Micah, and called out Bethlehem as the place of this
new ruler’s birth. I wonder if they were
at all smug, thinking they had put another feather in their caps in front of
the king? All of their study of
scripture and theology had paid off. I wonder if they were congratulating
themselves as they sat there in the court, for that is all they did- sit. They
didn’t act, they didn’t go, they didn’t investigate. They stayed exactly where they had been.
On the
other hand, in stark contrast, are these heathen wisemen who came from far
away. There is so much we don’t know
about them. We don’t even know if there
were three- that is always assumed because there are three gifts listed in
scripture that they presented to Jesus. Surely these men had doubts about what
they were doing. Even with their study
of celestial movements and signs, they must have had some questions. They surely had hesitations about leaving
behind the comfort of the known to step into total uncertainty. But somehow, they knew enough. They risked.
They saddled up the camels and journeyed West, trusting that they would
be led to the right place. The right Person.
So here we
are, poised at the edge of a new year.
We don’t know what will happen this year, in our individual lives or the
life of our community at Hollywood Pres. But the call of Jesus will undoubtedly
require that we do more than sit comfortably with what we’ve always known. We
will be called to risk, to step further out into this new chapter and trust
that God will lead us. That’s what wise people have always done.
See you…in
2012!
Pastor Dan
