by Griff Martin
December 12, 2017
It’s maybe my favorite Christmas story.
One of my favorite pastors writes in his book of the most
moving Christmas pageant he ever attended: a simple children’s nativity and
choral music. The adult choir sang a few songs and then began the nativity
sequence. Near the height of the pageant, Mary, Joseph, and Jesus were in
place. The Shepard was in place. The angel choir was in place. Right before the
final anthem, one of the children in the angel choir became upset. The problem
was that someone taller had moved in front of her and was blocking her view of
the nativity. So she did what any child would do, she yelled out at the top of
her lungs, “Let Jesus show.” The pageant went quiet. She again yelled, “Let
Jesus show.” The pastor, seeing the full potential for the moment, got up and
dismissed the congregation with a simple, one-word benediction: amen.
That is what this season is about: letting Jesus show. We
have built to this celebration for four weeks now, focusing on the Coming
Christ child and the Child is finally here. The child is born again. The child
is present in our midst and in our Christmas celebrations. Love has come to
earth. Love is present in our midst and in our hearts. Love is what we celebrate. Love is where we
focus. It’s the kind of love that we will only have once in a life: the love of
the creator who was willing to come in human form to us so that we could better
understand him.
So this week, let that love show. Let that love show as you
open presents with your children on Christmas morning, as you finish your last
minute holiday shopping, as you spend hours in the car driving to grandparents’
homes, as you prepare your Christmas meal, as you hug family you have not seen
all year, as you light your candle during the Christmas Eve service, as you
celebrate the season with co-workers, as you give to the charities and causes
that move your soul, as you spend time with your spouse… In all this, let love
show. Let Jesus be present.
And let it never end. May we carry the love that is born on
Christmas morning with us all year. May we be people that celebrate the Advent
even when it’s not Advent season. May we continually allow our lives to cry
out, “get out the way and let love show, let Jesus show.” Let love be present. Let
Christ be present.
0 comments:
Post a Comment