So – did you get what you wanted for Christmas? Since you were looking (I assume) to find Jesus/Christ/God/divine in your midst, did you find what you were looking for?
The nativity story in Matthew reminds us that we all have our own image of the Jesus that we are looking for, and that’s a good thing.
We all know the drill. Christmas is the time when we wait for the coming of the baby Jesus, right? Well sure, sort of. That’s what nativity plays are all about.
But Christmas is more about our own deepest longings, which we engage as we look for God/divine/Jesus in our midst. And for most of us, our longings are not baby-related.
Look for Jesus in our midst – of course – but don’t just look for a baby. What can you see? What can you find?
So great. Once again we are being asked to find Jesus in our midst. Every year it’s the same thing.
For many of us, that works quite well. We anticipate wonderful Christmas activities like parties, presents, and egg nog.
But for some of us, that’s not what we are looking for. Some of us actually want to find Jesus in our midst, not just Christmas baking.
If in the past you have failed to find what you need, obviously you need to look somewhere else. How about starting by being a holy fool.
Advent – the time of waiting for Christmas (or at least Christmas present) is usually fun. But Advent is sort of ruined for me because we think we know how the story will end. It’s hard to have any real anticipation of waiting for “Jesus in our midst” (no matter how you understand those words).
We can’t find Jesus unless we look for Jesus. And we can’t honestly look for Jesus unless we come to grips with our own deepest longings. What is it that you need this Advent? What do you long for that is beyond your grasp.
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