My Christmas Letter 2011
The period from Thanksgiving to Christmas has developed into one full of social expectations; we end up overextending ourselves with hosting and attending all the gatherings and special events, shopping, writing and mailing cards, shipping and delivering gifts, baking and people. In the midst of the increased stress of all that we feel the unspoken assumptions of needing to be filled with joy and love. That in itself – being filled with joy – can be difficult for those who have experienced loss in grief, especially in the past year. Recent technological developments tell us “there’s an app for that”, signalling instant gratification and convenient fixes to our problems that in reality are not fixes at all.
Once again God enters into our humanity in completely astonishing and paradoxical ways. God invites us be willing participants to that entrance: to come home from all the ambitions and possessions we have pursued thinking they would satisfy us. God invites us to return from the places where we settle for less than the fullness of life Christ offers.
My wish and prayer for you is that you will experience the awe of the wondrous gift God offers to you. There is nothing you need to fix about yourself or others in order to accept the gift, only to open your heart and mind to it; God enters into your life as you are and where you are with the divine gifts of hope, love, joy and peace. Through the words of the prophets, the lips of the angels, and the birthing cries in the night, God promises, “I am with you.” That very gift is not one you need to hold on to and protect, because it is an unending gift you are invited to share freely with the world, your family and your friends.
Whatever circumstances you may find yourself in during this season of your life, God promises, “I am with you.”
May you know and realize God’s promise this Christmas -
Dave
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