“If
I can just get through the next hour....”
then,
it's all downhill from there!
If
I can just get through this dinner with my in-laws...
If
I can just get through all this service...
Just
Get through it!
Is
that really how we want to think about our lives?
Just
getting through it?
Susan
Worthington, our Day School Director, and I had a conversation right
before the Day School Christmas program a few weeks ago and
it sounded a lot like this... (and I DO have her permission to
share this).
I
asked Susan how she was and she said something like,
“I'll
be better once this is over-- IF I CAN JUST GET THROUGH IT”
and
yet, at the same time we looked at each other
and
at the children all around us...
and
realized what a special moment it was...
and
I said something about how quickly it will be that
her
grandbaby Sophie will be grown up!
When
I was little, I can remember saying, “i can't wait until.... “
whatever
the next 'big thing' was--
my
birthday... I can't wait until my birthday
Or
Christmas or summer vacation...
But,
when my Dad heard me say that,
he
would say, “don't wish away the present”
Don't
hope so much for “what is to come”
that
we miss the 'here and now”!!
What
does it mean to be fully present in the moment?
What
does it mean to slow down and be present here and now?
For
some it might mean getting down on the floor and playing with your
child or grandchild instead of worrying about what is cooking
or
perhaps it's learning to play a silly video game
just
to play the game together..
or
perhaps it's sharing an ear bud, so that you can hear the music
that's on the ipod or phone.
For,
me, it's been learning to use snap chat so that I can see the
pictures
that
my niece is sending...
Maybe
for you it's listening to the same story that your Great Uncle
tells..
the
one about the time it snowed when he was 12...
that
you've heard a million times already...
but,
what if you really listened this time.. and maybe asked a question or
two...
when
we are fully present in the moment,
perhaps
we experience Christ around us..
This
week, I received a wonderful email story..
it
reminded me of an older tale
about
a man who is visited by several persons on Christmas Eve
in
this newer version of the Story,
the
man named George hasn't celebrated Christmas since his wife's death.
He
doesn't put up a tree or back cookies,
but
he is alone in the service station he owns on Christmas Eve.
That
night, he encounters a homeless man who he feeds.
Next
a couple whose car is falling apart show up.
The
wife is about to deliver a baby so George gives them his truck
while
he proceeds to fix their car.
Next,
a police officer is shot and he helps the officer
as
well as the young man who shot him.
At
the end of the night, George is told,
that
even though he doesn't seem to celebrate Christmas,
he
had kept the spirit of the season about as good as any man.
In
being fully present and available to those around him,
George
experienced the spirit of the season
and
lived it out..
The
spirit of the season--
The
spirit of Christmas IS the spirit of Christ..
Being
Present in the moment is about experiencing Christ's presence in the
world.
The
Catholic priest Richard Rohr talks about learning to be present in
the moment
as
a way of learning to recognize God's presence with us..
on
this holy night when we celebrate, God With us-- God's coming to us
as one of us,
I'd
like to share some of Father Rohr's thoughts with you...
in
order for us to fully appreciate God's presence with us,
we
have to understand that it's about OUR being present.. not God...
God
is ALWAYS present with us...
we
just don't always recognize it...
Father
Rohr says,
“God
is present everywhere all the time.
There
is not really much point in arguing IF and HOW...
we
know that God is always given from God's side,
but
we have to learn how to receive” this and recognize it.
Recognizing
God's presence in the world is about our being present in the
moment...
practicing
an awareness of God-with-us
When
those first angels at Christ's birth,
They
said,
“Glory
to God in the highest heaven,
and
on earth, peace among those whom he favors.”
peace
on earth
good
will to all.
We
can know God's peace and presence because of the birth of Jesus.
Peace
on earth begins with peace within ourselves
when
we are not peaceful, the world cannot be peaceful.
And
it is through the Presence of Christ that we know peace.
Tonight
we celebrate the sacrament of communion,
It
is in this that we recognize and experience Christ's presence with us
now.
There
may be other places where we are less certain of God's presence..
but
here, at this table,
we
have the opportunity to meet Jesus..
But,
are we coming to this table,
thinking
more of “getting through it”
so
we can at to dinner at Grandmother's house?
Tonight,
you might not be asked to share a meal with a homeless person,
or
let a pregnant lady borrow your car..
you
might not help a police officer you has been shot.
But,
you still have the opportunity to be present in the moment
and
experience the Spirit of Christ.
May
you come to this table,
present
in this moment
and
know that God is With Us
Emmanuel
the
Prince of Peace
GLORY
TO GO IN THE HIGHEST;
AND
ON EARTH, PEACE,
“GOOD
WILL TO ALL PEOPLE”!!
