Do We Accept The Gift?

From my observations of families blessed with presence of a newborn, it seems to be something that is extraordinary. As this new baby comes into your life, time takes on new meaning. The change is instantaneous, and before you know it, you cannot imagine what it was to live life any other way. Hours, days, weeks, months, take on new meaning. One thing for sure, you cannot predict the fullness of time any more than you can predict what God will do in any given moment, or exactly when a baby will be born.

Of course, the idea of the fullness of time also means that we believe that there is a general trajectory to the world and that God is the one with the finger on the pulse of that trajectory. This is a promise so radical, a trajectory so extraordinary, and a world so upside down that it prompts only one question: “When, Lord?” We do not know where we are on the arc of God’s plan, any more than we know when a baby will come or when the fullness of time will be revealed once again or God’s great reversal will play out or our world will be turned upside down in the most remarkable, unpredictable, and spectacular of ways. Karl Rahner a Jesuit writer once wrote: “Knowing God is more important than knowing about God.”

So what do we know? We know only that we are given a promise that those who mourn will wear garlands of roses and orchids and lilies as they dance with delight, and will splash one another with the oil of celebration instead of wallowing in the stink of death. We know that those who hunger and thirst and long to be filled with something other than regret shall be filled, and those who have lavished in plenty and luxury and satisfied self-confidence will have to wait their turn. Those promises make the struggle worth it. In a stable surrounded by farm animals, with the cold reality and the stink of life all around her, a young girl, Mary gave herself over to the fullness of time and leaned her body and her spirit fully into that long arc, and the world was turned upside down forever. 

Each baby in the fullness of time as Jesus was, is God’s gift to the world, a Christmas gift, one could say, to the world.  Yes, we are God’s gift, not just to be in the pretty parts of the world, but also to be in the ugly, dirty, uncomfortable parts, so that we can bring hope to the hopeless, justice to the downtrodden, and freedom to the enslaved. John the Baptist could say he was only a witness, sent to testify to the light. But we are more than witnesses; we are children of the light. Jesus, whom we call the Light of the World, told his followers that we are to be the light of the world with him. Yes, following Christ means walking in some very large footsteps— but Christ walks with us, and God’s Spirit empowers us to fulfill this calling. 

So during this time of preparation, this Advent, and throughout our lives we are called to rejoice! We are here to show God’s love to the unloved, to transform cries into laughter, and to partner with God to turn tears of sorrow into shouts of joy. God’s steadfast love is with us always, and that is a marvelous Christmas gift. But the greatest Christmas miracle is this: God’s steadfast love is with the least and the lost, the poorest and the saddest. How? Through us. Yes, you and I help the Christmas miracle of God’s steadfast love transform the world when we live this calling and proclaim this message. Rejoice! You are a Christmas gift to the world!

We know God in love and God's love knows no limit. Come what may that love is unconquerable. So even amidst our doubts and disasters we share Gods life and love in a new age - life anew in Gods kingdom. Do we share because we have and others simply have not? Do we share of our resources particularly at this time of year when we have an opportunity through such things as the Christmas Bowl Appeal? It matters to God that the changes made in our attitudes and we are there for others to see. Or have we little or nothing to show for God's coming amongst us in the form of Jesus? Are we ready to be the forerunners, for the coming of Christ into the hearts and lives of others? Tell what you are hearing and seeing says Jesus. Is it so with us?