Conversation Point

Oh Jesus Now Appear

In two weeks Christmas will be here and almost gone. Two weeks. That doesn't seem like much time to prepare for such a life-changing event as the coming of our savior to earth. As I've been out and about, finishing my holiday shopping and just taking care of the details of everyday life, I've noticed a distinct change in the the past few days. Perhaps people are beginning to realize that the time is almost at hand, that Christmas only comes once a year and it is time to pay attention.

However, we are still at war with Iraq and contemplating an extension of this violence into Iran. Mall shootings make headlines. The people of Darfur suffer as they have for the past two years we have been aware of their plight. But still, Christmas is coming, and we must pay attention for where God is calling us to see this great, mysterious gift. We collectively stand at a crossroad between our hopes for the world and our expectation that God's will prevails, even if we aren't sure what that means.

I feel this space between my own hopes and expectations quite keenly today. A dear friend is beginning a second battle with cancer that has arrived unwelcome at her door. My faith tells me she will survive this and come out the other side whole. My heart and soul agree with unbridled hope. Not that last resort variety of hope that is pulled out when everything else has failed. This is the hope that believes, without condition, that God is with us all, always.

How many other people are living in an advent of hope that staves off fear of the unknown? What of this world is nagging at us, pulling our attention away from that grace that leads us forward in truth and righteousness to where God always is and always will be? Perhaps too many. And, perhaps, not enough. Odd as that may sound as we expect Jesus' arrival, more of us need to be conscious of what is actually happening in the world, and most importantly, in each other's lives. This wonderful intimacy God offers us in this reconciling relationship with the Christ is only squandered when we distance ourselves from its implications.

How deeply do we want to love and be loved? That is the question God asks us to ponder as we welcome God With Us. God sent a child, the place where love begins, to remind us of all that goes into being with and for one another. How we respond to this question tells us how much we are invested in living by what we believe of who God is and how we can embody God's love for each of us and all of us. Do we care for ourselves and each other enough to think about love and its hopes and expectations as our primary concern? Do we care for God enough to consider that God abides with us now and always will, despite everything?

posted by Cory L. Kemp @ 10:37 PM