Don't Miss The Moment

The countdown to Christmas has narrowed to just a few days.  In our house there is a bit of a last minute scramble to get the last few gifts, and we are filled with anticipation of the arrival of our biggest boy, who will be flying in to Austin today.  

Last night we drove by a mall on our way to a Christmas party. The roads were choked with cars, and traffic going into and out of the mall parking lot was at a standstill.  

I thought of all of the drivers, tiredly waiting their turn and more than a few of them probably saying, "We just need to get through this... just get through these next few days... and then it will be all over."  

I also thought about the fact that it's in the middle of all of this busyness that the Christ-child arrives, silently and quietly---under the radar of the rich, the powerful, the busy and the world-weary, who long only for comfort and a return to the routine. 

In Psalm 80:3 all the people cry out to God, "Restore us, O God; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved."  Then salvation comes in the form of a tiny babe, born in an out-of-the-way place to homeless refugees, and revealed to an unlikely, rag-tag band of shepherds.  

The rich, the powerful, the busy and the world-weary missed it.  I wonder if they were distracted, longing for their own comfort, putting one foot in front of the other, and saying "We just need to get through this... and then it will all be over."  

Could it be that what they really wanted wasn't salvation at all, but a restoration of their comfort?  A "better" life in the here and now?  To triumph, to win at all costs?  

Khalil Gibran once wrote, "Verily, the lust for comfort murders the passion of the soul, and then walks grinning in the funeral."  

May you renew your passion for the true joy of your salvation in these last few days before Christmas.  May you find yourself longing for the Light of the World, instead of your own comfort.  May you be filled with joyous anticipation of a world made right, filled with peace, hope and love.  May you bask in this anticipation, enjoying the love of God in every moment of it.  

And may the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you now and always. Amen.