Last week we talked about being miracle workers ourselves - God using us ordinary people to bring miracles into the lives of others. During this week I challenge you to make your own list - what miracles will God accomplish through you this Christmas?
At Hope we made a list during worship of the top 2-3 miracles our world needs this Christmas and then picked one we would work on through this holiday season. I will be posting all of the list in church and on the Hope website at www.hopeumcmn.org.
This week we turn from miracles to giving up on the need for perfection, especially during the holidays.
How much money, time, and energy go into chasing this unattainable ideal set for us by Norman Rockwell? The first Christmas was pretty messy, and life today is pretty messy—but God shows up in the middle of the mess to bring us a message of hope.
What are our own unrealistic expectations for the “perfect” Christmas? Do the presents under the tree need to be perfectly wrapped with ribbons and bows? Does your house need to be decorated just so or it's not really Christmas? Do you send out cards expecting that everyone will send you one in return? These kinds of expectations do not enhance anything about our experience of Christ's birth but instead leave us feeling let down.
Life is not about staying safe and living comfortable. The call to follow Jesus is a call to give your life to him and to join God’s mission in healing the souls of the world. We know things just don't happen "perfectly" no matter how hard we try. Our Christmas celebration is a person short this year as a loved one has died or cannot make it home, or our church no longer does the candlelight service the way they did in our youth, or we feel depressed because of a job loss or relationship loss and we just cannot find our way out to be cheery for others.
Jesus was born in a stable a long way from home. His mother was a very young woman who was frightened of all she was going through as was Joseph. Jesus' birth came at a time when the world was ruled by the Romans and there was only an uneasy peace kept by their soldiers. There was nothing perfect about it -except that the person born was our Savior!
So shed the expectations of perfection and celebrate Jesus' birth by passing along his love and giving thanks for his life. And know that even in the midst of the messiest situation God ALWAYS SHOWS UP!
Thought for the week - what does the perfect Christmas look like to you?
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