WALKING TO BETHLEHEM

 

 

The Fourth Week of Advent

 

Christmas has lost its meaning for us

because we have lost the spirit of expectancy.

We cannot prepare for an observance.

We must prepare for an experience.

Handel Brown

 

          The way to Christmas lies through an ancient gate....It is a little gate, child-high and child-wide. (Angelo Patri)  As a child, one of the exciting parts of Christmas was the anticipation, the build-up of excitement as the Advent calendars came out, houses were set aglow, the tree was decorated, Christmas vacation began, we tromped through the neighborhood caroling, paraded through the pageant, and then … and then … and then!  How could you not be excited?  Jesus’ birthday was the best birthday of the year!

 

It is good to be children sometimes,

and never better than at Christmas,

when its mighty founder was a child himself.
Charles Dickens

 

          For those of us who do not have children in the house, we may miss the children’s contagious anticipation and excitement.  However, it is important that we do not wander into Bethlehem unaware. 

 

          In the same manner in which we clean and prepare our homes in the anticipation of welcomed guests this Christmas season, let’s prepare our hearts and minds in anticipation of the Lord's coming.  Take time to be aware that in the very midst of our busy preparations for the celebration of Christ’s birth in ancient Bethlehem, Christ is reborn in the Bethlehems of our homes and daily lives. Take time, slow down, be still, be aware of the Divine Mystery that looks so common and so ordinary yet is wondrously present. 

 

 

          Christ is coming!  Christ is coming!  God is coming!  God is here!  Isn’t that exciting? 

 

Let's approach Christmas with an expectant hush,

rather than a last-minute rush.

The Fourth Week of Advent

 

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The Third Week of Advent

 

… the human heart dreams of a state of wholeness,

a place where everything comes together,

where loss will be made good,

where blindness will transform into vision,

where damage will be made whole,

where the clenched question will open in the house of surprise,

where the travails of life’s journey will enjoy a homecoming.

To invoke a blessing is to call

some of that wholeness upon a person now.

John O’Donohue, “To Retrieve the Lost Art of Blessing.”

 

                Before Mary joined Joseph on the journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, she made a journey of her own to the home of her cousin, Elizabeth, in the Judean hill country.  When Elizabeth heard that Mary had arrived, she was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!”

 

                We know that Mary was frightened by her encounter with the angel.  She comes to Elizabeth and is received, not with suspicion and censure, but with blessing.  That affirmation strengthens Mary to face what lies ahead.  Just as we all need someone in difficult times, Mary needs someone to help her hang on to what God has promised.  She is going into uncharted territory, and her only reassurance is the memory of an angel’s visit months earlier.

 

                It is difficult to overstate the power of blessing and naming someone as blessed by God.  Our words have the power to shape another’s perception of themselves in life-changing ways.  We can guide and strengthen them to follow God, and in the process, experience God’s presence ourselves.

 

                Traveler, consider whose love and acceptance have helped you know what it feels like to be called “blessed”?  What words and actions of those individuals do you remember? 

 

                Consider two or three people with whom you spend time regularly.  In what way does each one need reassurance and “blessing”?  How can you convey God’s love to each one through your own interactions? 

 

Listen as God says to you,

“You are blessed and precious to me.  I am with you.”

What does this message mean to you today?

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The Second Week of Advent

 

“Hope” is the thing with feathers –

that perches in the soul –

and sings the tune without the words –

and never stops – at all –

Emily Dickinson

 

Our excitement and expectation as we look for good things to come are often mixed with memories of times when plans fell through, when promises were not kept.  When people have failed us or we have failed ourselves, that sense of failure can creep into our hope.  Christmas can be a time when unfulfilled hopes rise up to haunt us – or to taunt us.  Memories of holidays that were less than we wanted them to be generate sadness and dread mixed with the joy we hope for during the Christmas season.  We rarely approach any hope with absolutely no doubts or questions, and the same is true when we approach God.

 

So many biblical characters questioned whether they could hold on to hope.  Zechariah asks the angel, “How will I know …?”  Tamar asks, “What will you give me?”  God’s regular response is stark:  “I guarantee absolutely nothing, yet I will give you everything.  All you have to do is give me yourself.” 

 

We are reminded that hope does not build on certainty.  There are no guarantees.  Coming to God with a mixture of hope and excitement, as well as anxiety, fear, and distrust is normal and human.  Be assured that God welcomes us with whatever degree and quality of hope we can offer.  Even if the hope is simply an inexpressible desire for something more, it has power, and its power grows as we nurture our hope in God’s presence.

 

Traveler, consider your own hopes for this holiday season, for your life.

Do you demand a sign or proof of God’s promises to you?

How are your hopes hindered or supported by past experiences?

Ask the Lord to free you from whatever may encumber your hopes.

Thank the Lord for that which fortifies your hopes.

 

As we travel through Advent, let’s look for the wonders that show us God is at work in our lives and our world.  Hope holds with it the promise that God always answers our questions by showing up, not necessarily with what we desire, but with remarkable gifts that change everything.

 

 

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The First Week of Advent

 

We are entering a season of darkness as we move through December and the hours of daylight shorten.  For some, we are living in a time that darkens our souls as we enter a festive season without a festive spirit.  There is altogether too much darkness, in more ways than one.  And yet, God has promised us light throughout our journey of life and faith.

 

A choice lies ahead.  We can allow ourselves to be dragged toward Bethlehem, kicking and screaming through the tinsel-laden pressures of the expected route to Christmas.  Or, we can enter into a time of anticipation and hope on an unexpected route to the Christ Child. 

 

Traveler, as we step out toward Bethlehem, it is good to take time to examine what we carry with us. As you prepare to begin the journey ahead, take time to open up your luggage and see what you have packed away.   

 

During this first week of Advent, cleanse your expectations and open yourself to God’s itinerary. 

 

“Did you pack your bag yourself?

Did anyone give you anything to carry for them?”

 

We may believe we packed our own luggage, but the influences of many people and many past experiences crowd into the luggage uninvited and often unknown to us.  “Did anyone give you anything to carry?”  The journey to Bethlehem is one that we each must make unburdened with another person’s baggage.  For the one we seek in the stable wishes to address each individual profoundly and directly. 

We cannot know everything that we carry.  For better or worse, we are packed and ready.  So, step out on to the path and bid farewell to home. 

 

Dear God, it’s hard to prepare for the journey with a fresh spirit.  Lord, ruffle my packing enough to help me see the vision you have for me along the way.  Give me a sense of wonder and anticipation to know that I travel in the hands of a living God who can touch my yesterdays as much as my tomorrows.  Lord, make me expectant, make me new.  Amen.

 

P.S. God – Thank you for the safety of your love, for your gentle understanding, for the challenge of the journey, and the vision of the promised destination. Lead me on, in Jesus’ name.  Amen