Are You Ready For Christmas?

I was asked that question by one of you after worship on Sunday. I gave a quick response.

No. I am not. And I’m just fine with that!

I think the person was asking me if I had completed the preparations that we think are necessary for having a good celebration of the day. But that’s not how I heard the question.

Can we ever be ready for Christmas? Can we ever be ready for the in-breaking of God into this broken world? Can we ever be ready for God-with-us? Can we ever be ready for a God who is this intrusive, this persistent, this creative, who insists on being with us in the reality of our lives – the shiny, beautiful parts and the ugly, hard parts and everything in between?

Are you ready for Christmas?

To really be ready to celebrate the birth of Christ…. to prepare ourselves for the coming of God into our world and into our lives, I think our to-do list might look something like this:

• Embrace mystery
• Practice gratitude
• Be generous
• Forgive others
• Forgive ourselves
• Be kind
• Listen deeply
• Open our hearts to receive God’s grace
• Move past fear
• Let go of anger
• Relinquish control (I’m not making much progress on that one!)
• Weep with those who weep
• Rejoice with those who rejoice

That is a checklist that will never be complete. That is the work of a lifetime. We are never ready to be overcome by love, to be overshadowed by grace.

No, I’m not ready for Christmas.

What does it look like for you to be ready for Christmas?

-Written by Rev. Amy Miracle

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