Frozen in time.....

The Advent of our Lord is fast upon us......or so those among us who speak in liturgical language might claim.  It's December 21st and the final frenzy of preparation is in progress.  The gift list is being double checked to make sure everyone is 'covered' and the gift wrapping is in full swing in some hidden locale within the house, and some cookies are being baked for that holiday exchange at the office, and the grocery list is being assembled for the big shop that precedes the big cook....well, I guess I don't have to tell you, right?

Meanwhile, church secretaries are finalizing bulletins, altar guilds are arranging poinsettias, the cleaning crews are dusting and the pastor is making last minute visits, writing a sermon, confirming all the assistants and ordering pizza for Christmas Eve (since she never cooks on that night!).

For many the very busy - ness of it all is wonderful. Hanging the stockings, pulling out the fancy clothes for Christmas Eve services, sneaking one more cookie.  All this frenzy - and at the center of it all is a frozen ceramic Mary and Joseph, some straw, a few sheep and maybe a donkey, all gathered in a western version of a stable.  The same Mary and Joseph that have been stoically stuck in that stable for your lifetime....and the lifetime before them.

Stuck.  Frozen in time.  In fact, for many, Mary and Joseph have simply become the background wallpaper that provides the excuse for immersing ourselves in family tradition and the gathering of friends.

The outrageous claim that the love of God took on human flesh in the person of Jesus, born 2000 years ago, and yet alive today among and between us......is lost.  Gone.  Frozen into a dilute yet beautifully rendered tableau of mother and child, with Joseph thrown in for good measure.

"Jesus is the reason for the season"  Yes.  But I think Jesus is no longer at the center of the season or the celebration.  Jesus is frozen to a time long, long ago in a place far, far away. Can it be that the only Jesus you know is the ceramic one that is pulled out and dusted off for Christmas Eve services?

If so, then maybe next week, when the hoopla has died down, you might want to stop by for a chat, to talk about the world that is killing you and the Savior who waits to give you life.  There are no gifts needed, no special decorations or fancy cookies.

I will spring for the coffee at Panera though because, you don't want to miss knowing this living, life giving Jesus.  You don't want to miss out on the hope that he brings into our lives.  You don't want to navigate one more year on your own when the Prince of Peace is waiting to walk with you.

Let's defrost the baby Jesus and allow him to work in our lives.  It's not too late; it's the best present you'll receive.  Come, holy Jesus.