Messy Christmas
“The Word became flesh and blood,
and moved into the neighborhood.
We saw the glory with our own eyes,
the one-of-a-kind glory,
like Father, like Son.”
John 1:14, The Message
Christmas is just days away and the family is arriving in the next days or hours. The table linens are laid out to be pressed, and if you are fortunate enough to be digging out the real silver, someone has been allocated the thoroughly unglamorous job of cleaning it for its annual outing.
Sometimes, in our efforts to have a picture-perfect Christmas, we either assume that the mess of cleaning or the drama of family and friends, or the legitimately hard work of cooking and preparing to host, or wrap presents and shop, are meant to be part of the beauty of life and not the thing we do to get to the beautiful part of life.
This year, for the first time, I’m making a conscious effort to be fully present in these mundane moments — in the wrapping of presents — with gratitude that there are people I love and appreciate and want to bless: in shopping and that we have readily available funds for necessities and a few imported British luxuries (hello Fortnum and Mason Christ); in driving to run errands, or the school run, or to work — that we have a car, that I have a way to support our family; that the Christmas lights are up in our neighborhood and look resplendent.
My old pastor used to say, “It’s neat and tidy in the graveyard, but it’s messy in the nursery.” The nursery may be where the mess is, but it is also where life is.
Jesus was born into a mess — physically: the mess of his birthplace — not a palace or temple; politically: Herod clinging on to power and manipulating people however he felt necessary; emotionally: his unwed parents, surrounded by scandal.
He knows the deeply messy parts of our lives — He has felt what we feel. He knows pain, suffering, scandal, disappointment, grief and desperation, and because of this, He can be our place of refuge and hope when our worlds seem full of mess, and we cannot seem to enjoy the beauty we long for at this time of year.
The first Christmas was messy but changed the world. May each of you still rejoice Christmas amidst this mess of yours.
