Friday, December 22, 2017

Holy Disruption


Twenty years ago this month, I almost died from blood clots in both lungs.  The year before that, my father died suddenly.  The year after, my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer.  Three consecutive Christmases filled with disruptions.  Major upheavals in my life.  For a long time following those three disruptive years, I had a hard time getting into the “Christmas spirit.”   Like most years, 2017 has had it’s share of ups and downs, challenges and joys, disruptions and moments when things felt like they were coming together.  For a variety of reasons, I’ve had a hard time getting into the “Christmas spirit” this year as well. 

But, what exactly does that mean?

Does it mean experiencing a little “silent night” in the midst of the disruptions of life?  Does it mean getting a fleeting taste of the “peace that passes all understanding” in a world that so frequently seems bereft of peace?  Is it a momentary break from the realities that plague so many lives?  I really don’t think that’s what Christmas is all about.

If you read the biblical stories of Christ’s coming carefully, you will discover that his birth itself was, in so many ways, a holy disruption.    In Luke’s Gospel, the great Roman Emperor Augustus calls for an enrollment and a heavenly army shows up to declare the birth of God’s Son.   In Matthew’s Gospel, the announcement of Jesus’ birth so threatens King Herod that he sends his armies to massacre all the children under two in Bethlehem.  John tells us that, in Jesus, God’s Word became flesh and dwelt among us, only to be rejected.  Angels appear and disrupt the lives of Mary and Joseph and some shepherds minding their own business on a quiet hillside.  In her “Magnificat” Mary declares that, in her child, God will turn the world upside down. 

Christmas is not about getting a break from the disruptions of life, it is about the God of steadfast love breaking into the disruptions of life.  It is about good news of great joy coming to all the people.  It is about the Word made flesh dwelling among us full of grace and truth.  It is about the coming of the Messiah who gives his life on a cross for the sake of the world and rises again on the third day as proof that God’s love is even more powerful than death.  The child we celebrate each Christmas not only disrupts life, he transforms it.  Changes its meaning.  Changes the basis for hope not just for a moment, but for every moment of every day – even and especially for days that are filled with blood clots, sudden death, a diagnosis of cancer and all the challenges and trials that are inevitably a part of every human life.

The Christmas spirit is not some warm fuzzy feeling you get from colored lights, tinsel, carols and packages under a tree.  It is the Spirit of God’s love and grace shared in the midst of the realities of human life. It is the Spirit of God With Us and of the One who promises to be with us to the end of the age… and beyond.

That’s the Christmas Spirit I know I will feel as I sing “Silent Night” this year.  That’s the Christmas Spirit I will celebrate as I give thanks for the gift of the Christ Child and for the community of family and faith that reminds me of that gift every day.

A blessed Christmas to all!
Bishop Mike


Thanks for reading.  May God go with you in the New Year!

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