I was just reading a Christmas Eve sermon by William Sloane Coffin - the great Riverside Church preacher of the 70's and 80's -- and in it he quotes the German theologian Karl Barth: "Christmas without fear carries with it fear without Christmas". The point being -- that if we are not awed by the reality of God coming in Christ, if we do not embrace "the fear of the Lord" at Christmastime, then we will never let God and the hope of Christmas help us with our little fears. We will remain anxious if Christmas remains a sentimental holiday. We will continue in our worries if Christmas is simply about getting our gifts purchased and given. But if Christmas is receiving the certain truth of what God is doing in Christ -- then all our little fears dissolve into the fearsome awesomeness of God.
Perhaps we'll know we have truly celebrated Christmas by how little or how much we are afraid in the days ahead.
Merry Christmas all.
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Today I drove from Sarasota to Cocoa Beach to pick up my granddaughter for a week's vacation with me. Due to the holidays I decided to leave this morning at 1am to beat the traffic. As I drove through road construction sites, dense patchy fog, I kept praying that God would just keep me awake and alive long enough to see my granddaughter Christmas Day.
ReplyDeleteNot only did God see me safely on my journey there but, as we were driving along the back roads returning to Sarasota, the first question she asked me was "were we going to be able to go to church on Sunday?" I laughed and said of course, wouldn't miss it for the world.
At Thanksgiving, at a thrift store, I found a children's devotional and today as we drove home, I had one of the best Bible fellowships I have had in the past year with her questions and my realizing that both of us are at the same level of learning.
I owe all this to God working through you and all the other leaders of the small groups that I was able to discuss the Bible and God (she had some pretty "amazing adult" questions/comments) with her. I just wanted to share this with you and to say thank you.
Sorry, guess I really didn't comment on your blog, but just wanted to share this with you.
Oh, and a very Merry Christmas to you.
ReplyDeleteAnd a Happy New Year to you! Thanks for the great Christmas story.
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