This is a funny time of the year ... liturgically it is ALL about waiting ... preparations for the Christmas Services are pretty much done, and it is only a matter of waiting for them to begin ... On the home front, the shopping is finished except for the last few tiny items that were overlooked or forgotten ... and now there is only the waiting for services, celebrations, gatherings, and the inevitable quiet that settles in when everything is done and we can put our feet up for a moment and simply enjoy being ...
But then, inevitably, real life breaks through ... the weather remains changable and unpredictable ... a phone call spins things in an unexpected direction ... news that someone is in the hospital, or something has happened comes and all the preparations seem to be for naught.
Yet, in this waiting ... in the pause before the proverbial "storm", one can find a place of peace and comfort that defies words ...
I think I stumbled into such a place this morning ... it began quietly while I put out the garbage and the recycling, then fed the birds, let the dogs out, and settled in with a cup of coffee ... it continued as the house awoke, and I was able to claim a special time before leaving for work ... then as I came to the Church to prepare the sanctuary for tomorrow's Christmas Eve service, I felt a sense of calm that has been lacking for many weeks ... setting up the candles, moving the furniture, envisioning the flow of the liturgy brought a smile to my face and a serenity to my being ... watching Oboe do laps around the sanctuary, barking at pews, furnishings, sounds, and even the enormous floor vents brought it all together ...
I ended the service on this past Sunday reflecting on the role of the Shepherds in the Christmas narrative, and offering them up as our entry point to the story ... they sat on the hillside tending to their flocks, going about their daily lives when suddenly, unexpectedly and amazingly, their world exploded in a barrage of sights and sounds, with celestial visitors, heavenly proclamations and most importantly the invitation to come and see what God has brought to pass in a tiny backwater corner of the world ...
Today, I understood that invitation ... when we least expect it, God breaks through with a gift and an invitation ... it is not always with angels and stars and booming choruses from heaven ... sometimes it comes quietly and unbidden in the most unlikely of moments ...
In the coming hours, may you experience anew, the gift of the Christ Child, who brings light and love, peace and joy, hope and faith to one and all ... may your waiting be rewarded with the Blessings of the Season !!!
Dayenu !!
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