A 2020 Christmas

 It's almost Christmas AND we've almost finished 2020!  We're pretty excited about both of these occurrences.  This month we have the joy of saying hello to an amazing BIRTH celebration as well as saying goodbye to an amazingly strange, difficult, socially distanced, separated, disease-filled year.  But we find that even as we now anticipate the joy of Christmas, we need to find meaning in the lessons of 2020 for we're convinced they are numerous.

The two liturgical seasons of Advent and Lent have both similarities and differences.  They are different in that they bookend the life of the historical Jesus with two very different events: his birth and death

And Advent is usually seen as a time of “preparation,” while Lent is experienced as a time of “penance.”

Yet, they are similar in their invitation to make a retreat…to go inward…to reflect…to contemplate…and, perhaps, to be renewed.

The text that we chose for this Advent experience is neither new, nor is it “Christmasy”.  In fact, it’s over 25 years old and is not a nativity narrative, but a post-resurrection story: the account of two people walking to Emmaus after crucifixion of Jesus.  The book we are studying is entitled, With Burning Hearts.  And Nouwen suggests that we can embody a recurring five-step pattern in our daily lives…

· Acknowledging our suffering and losses
· Being attentive to God’s presence in our story 
· Affirming our belief
· Intimacy
· Taking action

Nouwen writes about the familiar story of two men on a journey from Jerusalem to Emmaus.  This story occurs just after Jesus has been hung on the cross, died, and was buried.  Women have gone to the Jesus' tomb but have found it empty.  These two travelers were men who had great hope in the new teacher but alas are now confused, sad, depressed that he has been killed.  The men were experiencing dashed hopes and dreams.  Their expectations for the year had been rudely ripped away from them.  Nothing was what they expected.  They were downcast looking for reason and trying to make sense of all that had occurred.  Luke 24:13-23

Does this sound familiar to you?  It seems very similar to our 2020.  We've been surprised, disappointed, and perplexed with next days.  We might say we've been confused and trying to sort it all out.

Let's also remember the story of Mary and Joseph and the unexpected pregnancy they experienced!  Do you think life as they expected was interuppted?  Were they shocked?  Were their parents disappointed and did they experience a life change, a new way of life?  Could their year have been ANY worse?  They had no eyes to see the future. Certainly, they had tears, questions, and confusion.  Again, just like us in 2020.

There are three things we can learn from these stories:

1. God was with them.  He walked right beside them and listened to all they needed to say.

2. God encouraged them to express their mourning for the life they expected and lost and, in that pain, they begin to SEE with new eyes.  Once they voiced their pain they were able to see God's hand in their lives.
3.  Faith won the day.  They each took steps of faith.  Faith that believes even when it cannot see.

Today, we have the same assurance.  He is with us.  He has never left our side.  He knows the pain of 2020 and he encourages us to voice the mourning of what we lost this year.  And somehow, in that awakening to our losses, our recognition that we need a healing God, we actually begin the process of being renewed.  It's a way of living called Faith.  Faith in who God says He is: the beginning and the end, the Savior of the world, the Hope, the One who loves unconditionally.

Let's join the these fellow travelers and recognize that God is with us.  Let's express our sorrow for the year and give Him all that pain.  And then, express Faith that He indeed is our Savior and He is coming!

Kathy and Scott