Even on the grief journey, we must walk through the days of Christmas. Yes, they are hard. Sometimes we just want it to be January and all behind us. But go with me as we journey through Advent. I will be reposting some essays written last year. Maybe through the season, we can find ourselves healing a bit, day by day. Go with me.
When I was in 2nd grade, I was chosen to play the part of
Mary in the Nativity Play. It was not because I was a budding actress, but
simply because I was very tall like David Herrington who played the part of
Joseph and the audience could see us better from a distance. I remember being
excited that I got to bring my favorite doll to wrap and hold while the story
unfolded on stage. I also liked the pale blue gown and the way the scarf draped
over my head and fell in folds to the floor. I had to hold my head very still
though for fear of it falling off. I hope you're smiling just picturing this
event. Most of us have acted out the
scene at some point in our lives. My youngest daughter was a sheep one year and
the way her ears flopped when she baa-ed made my sides burst when I REALLY
wasn't supposed to be laughing. Oh, and one year six children in our home
donned bathrobes and acted out the scene
to four proud parents. That one got a little out of hand when the two shepherds
got in a fight with their broom-staffs.
Today I am asking myself: what part do I play in the
Nativity? If I am the angels, well, then, I am already in Heaven and have the
privilege of telling others not to worry. I can fly around and sing joyfully.
If I am Joseph, I am dazed and confused, thinking about the newly defined
family I have been asked to support and must find a hotel quickly because a
baby is about to be born that is not even mine. If I am Mary, I am tired and weary,
bearing the weight of the world, facing an uncertain future. If I am the
innkeeper, I am busy making money and knowing
these people from Nazareth can't pay, should send them on their way - or on
second thought, offer them the shed. If
I am the shepherds, I am looking for a little action - something in the sky is
different and tending sheep can be such a drag. If I am the Wise Men, well, I
will come later, but I do see something happening different in the stars and I start shopping. If I am the
animals, I can sense that something is different and I simply stand very still.
You see: all of creation plays a part in this mystery and
wonder of the birth of Jesus. No one is exempt from the reality of the divine
child in the stable. All Christian theology has its origin in the wonder of
that night - when God became flesh. It is how we "play our part" in
the story. And in the end, scripture
plainly tells us that every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord of all. (Romans 14:11)
God who becomes flesh among us,
I want
to be the angel, glorifying you
or the
lowly donkey, simply standing very still,
but
you have made me the human with a mind of my own to choose my part;
Give me the
wisdom of the wise men to search for you with every breath I take.
Amen
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