Disruptive. Confusing. Scary. Exciting. Disorienting.
Have you ever experienced a situation or a season in your life that could be marked by any or all of these words?
As I reflect upon the events of my life, I can name many—from the loss of my first baby tooth to the first day of college to the death of my father—that can be marked by most or all of these adjectives. If I were to make a list of such events, it is likely that the first ones I would write down would be those I’d consider hard: switching schools, being hospitalized for back surgery, divorce in my family…
But I noticed that as my list grew longer it would include events I’d consider to be quite positive milestones: learning to drive, being called to Seminary, giving birth to my child…
Although I’m writing this letter in November, planning for the Advent and Christmas celebrations has been well underway for weeks. It is clear that so much of what we do to prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus is festive, comforting, and even fun. We decorate, we bake, we gather with loved ones, we listen to our favorite music, we prepare to exchange gifts. We do this in many faithful ways as a church too.
Yet when the circumstances of our own lives don’t reflect the festive, comfortable or fun energy of the season our own feelings of grief or isolation may be magnified. It can be hard to find ourselves in the story of Jesus’ birth. We might miss God’s promises to us in seasons we might deem hard or circumstances from which we’d like to escape. In these instances, our shared celebration of Jesus’ birth can be a disruptive, confusing, or disorienting event unto itself.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I am definitely someone who thinks that Jesus’ birth is one of the most exciting reasons for celebration in our lives. But I think that we do ourselves and our siblings a disservice if we neglect to notice, name and explore the reality that Jesus’ actual birth was a disruptive, confusing, scary, exciting, and disorienting event. It upended the lives of vulnerable individuals and changed the course of history.
This truth is something I believe we need to explore and even embrace as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus. It’s a practice that encourages us as a people of faith to not simply pick-and-choose which aspects of faith or the Bible we cling to, but pulls us into a more complex and substantive experience of faith—individually and collectively.
I imagine that some of you might find this assertion to be off-putting…or at least a curious one. We know all too well that the events of our world are disrupting, confusing, scary, exciting and disorienting ENOUGH as it is! We don’t necessarily need MORE of that…we need MORE joy, peace, hope, and love!
I would argue that the two are not mutually exclusive. The Advent and Christmas season before us, in fact, reminds us of this reality! Along with all that was/is disrupting, confusing, scary, exciting and disorienting about Jesus’ birth, Jesus’ birth calls us to rejoice, be peacemakers, instigators of hope and ambassadors of love.
This duality reminds us, too, of the promise of the Incarnation. God put on flesh and dwelt among us—experiencing the difficult aspects of human living, embodying the promise that God IS WITH US, ALWAYS…in the moments that are disorienting and difficult, and in the moments of hope and peace.
People of faith, THIS truth is cause for joy. May we witness God’s presence among us—in seasons of transition, seasons of grief, seasons of fresh starts, seasons of new opportunity, seasons of struggle, seasons of peace…and may the reality of GOD WITH US, ALWAYS give us strength, courage, hope, and love.
—Pastor Heather