The Promise of Christmas
The run up to Christmas is a time of preparation and waiting: preparing for presents, meals, visitors, travelling, and waiting for the days to tick over until Christmas arrives. My experience, with young children and teenagers is there are times when the preparation and the waiting is overwhelming! Can’t it all be over now!
Luke’s Gospel tells the story of Joseph and Mary travelling to Bethlehem because of a census. A census that would have created similar long queues to those we experience in shops, restaurants and train stations at this time of year. Queuing up to have names recorded by officials: with resultant long delays, the boredom of children and the tedium of a long journey simply to record a name. Mary and Joseph waiting in the queue, and with them, Jesus, hidden from our sight, yet to be born, present but not yet revealed. This is the promise of Christmas. As we prepare and wait, we see that Jesus is already in the midst of us. Unseen and unborn, yet He is coming. My prayer this Christmas is that we may all know Emmanuel, God with us, just as Mary and Joseph did. With best wishes to you all this Christmas.