Dear Caldwell,
I have been blessed by those who have said they have taken the idea of an “unadorned Advent” to heart. Some of you have said you are rethinking your Christmas choices. Others have said they realize now how “adorned” their lives really are – with comforts and luxuries that so many in our city and in our world lack.
On Sunday we considered James’ admonition to practice patience for the coming of the Lord this Advent, meaning to “remain tranquil while waiting.” So, how is that working for you, as they say? As the days to Christmas tick down, “remaining tranquil” gets even harder for those who have long to-do lists, doesn’t it? I concluded Sunday’s sermon with this:
“(As we wait) we seek to focus less on what the world calls adorned – things that are sparkly, things that go fast and suggest status, things that dazzle us with whiz-bang technology and things that make us look slimmer and younger … but, in the end, leave us wanting. Instead, we can seek and hold onto those things that are adorned in the eyes of God and given to us by Christ once again this Christmas – hope, peace, joy, love, all of which equip us to be patient, to remain tranquil while waiting and working together to build God’s kingdom, on earth as it is in heaven.”
I hope that you can carve out some moments for tranquility amid the fray of the season, time to make a place in your heart to receive our Servant King again. If you can, you may want to come and seek tranquility in our prayer room with others in quiet contemplation, tomorrow 3:45-5:30 pm.
This coming Sunday we will continue to prepare ourselves, first with fellowship and a holiday breakfast, starting at 9:30 a.m. in Belk Hall (note: it’s been moved from Fellowship Hall). Watch the Yahoo group and Caldwell This Week for more details.
In worship, we will put ourselves in Joseph’s shoes, as told in Matthew 1:18-25. For Joseph and Mary, that first Christmas was anything but the idealistic, sentimental Christmas we see on postcards and heart-warming TV specials. Potential disgrace for Mary, an unmarried, pregnant teenager. For Joseph, a tough decision about what to do – take the conventional route and leave Mary to avoid embarrassment for them both? Or stick by her and trust the words of an angel who had appeared in a dream? Talk about difficulty remaining tranquil! Talk about life being unadorned of easy living. Talk about being stripped down to only hard choices! Yet, sometimes, that is where we meet our God most fully, as on that first Christmas.
We will pick it up there Sunday. See you early for breakfast.
In Christ,
John