What’s Old Is New

But you, my servant Jacob, fear not, says the Lord, be not dismayed, O Israel! Behold, I will deliver you from the far-off land, your descendants, from their land of exile; Jacob shall again find rest, shall be tranquil and undisturbed, for I am with you, says the Lord, to deliver you (Jer. 30:10-11).

Christmas was very different for me this year. For many years, I’ve had a pretty steady routine of things I do, many of them involving volunteer work at my church as the holidays approach. Then there is the standard gift-buying ritual with a couple of days set aside to brave the crowds at the mall. I was able to do very little of that this year, due to illness. I would make plans and then have to back away from them when I’d wake up feeling too weak to do much of anything. Fortunately, I was able to take care of a lot of the shopping via the Internet. The only real breaks I got from illness were a few days to set up the crèche and flowers at the church, and to conduct the choir and orchestra on Christmas Eve.

Even though I didn’t partake of all my standard holiday rituals, I don’t feel like I missed anything this Christmas. I found that I wasn’t at all stressed out over what wasn’t getting done, and in some strange and marvelous ways, it was more truly Christmas than it’s ever been. Without all the clutter of activity, I found my focus on the mystery of the Incarnation. In my physical weakness, I was able to enter more fully into the weakness and vulnerability of the tiny Child who was born in Bethlehem, and to better appreciate what that means. For you know the gracious act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that for your sake He became poor although He was rich, so that by His poverty you might become rich (2 Cor. 8:9). In Him, I found my rest, tranquil and undisturbed.

My favorite Christmas gift this year wasn’t under the tree. It was having my son play in the orchestra I conducted on Christmas Eve. It was the opportunity to give the gift of music to the hundreds of people who packed the church that night; to bring together the months of work of so many singers and musicians and see them enjoy sharing the fruits of their labor. You can’t wrap that up and put a bow on it, and yet, the power of that music to move people’s hearts is incredible. A friend of mine who is both a cleric and a musician once remarked that “the Holy Spirit works in that space between your mouth and their ears.” I found that to be especially true this year, for although our forces were depleted due to illness, which had many of us concerned, we received many comments afterwards that we had outdone ourselves, and people found the music very moving.

Behold, I make all things new (Rv. 21:5). Yes, it was a very different Christmas this year – one I will never forget. It has caused me to rethink how I approach the holidays. In some ways, I think the Lord allowed me to get sick so that I could see this holy day with new eyes, to get a glimpse of what it looks like through His eyes, for whoever is in Christ is new creation; the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come (2 Cor. 5:17).

Prayer Request: That we will keep the Christmas spirit throughout the year.

Prayer: Gracious and loving God, thank you for sending Your Son into the world to teach us a new way of living. Help us to keep the light of that first Christmas burning in our hearts as we begin this new year. We make this prayer through Him who is the Light of the World, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.