Happy Christmas Dear Reader,
What did you write down yesterday? What are you doing to allay your fear? It is interesting to me how writing about
things often forces me to challenge them at a significant level.
One of my closest friends has a collection of Christmas T-shirts. He has a different one each day in December. They include pictures of the Grinch and Santa urging us to see that it is the Christmas season. My favorite is the one that says “Keep calm, I have presents.” He almost always does.
A challenge arose as I prepared to write this morning. A strap on my laptop bag got wound up in the wheel of my desk chair. This happens once in a while and it usually just takes a tug to free it. Not this morning. It was as if someone had chosen to weave the strap into the very fiber of the plastic wheels.
I had to sit down, turn the chair wrong side up, and try to
free the webbing. I began to get unreasonably
irritated at the minor inconvenience. That
voice in the back of my head whispered, “You are in no place to write about being
calm.” I stopped, let go of the strap
and chair, and closed my eyes for a moment.
I asked the Father to calm me. I asked the Holy Spirit to extend grace
to me to be aware of who I am supposed to be relative to straps and desk chairs. When I opened my eyes, I was calm.
The strap all but fell away from the wheel when I grasped it
again. I cannot imagine that I would
have handled the nine months leading up to giving birth to Jesus calmly. It would have taken a vast quantity of
grace. Still, we see that Mary is always
responding with a focus on the Father and what He wills.
Her response to the angel is clear no matter how she
feels. “Let it be as the Lord wills.” We can be calm when all around are rushing
through time as if their agenda is more important than what we celebrate. We all need to give ourselves permission to
take a moment, breathe, and keep calm.
If others deny us that, we are allowed to press pause on everything and
look for the Son to follow in the moment.
We are heading toward the proclamation of peace on
earth. I am writing down that I will
strive to keep peace because the Father’s mind is fixed on me. He never ceases to think about me. The Son makes intercession for me. The Spirit expresses the things I cannot on my
behalf. We all need to have some silent
nights; some silent moments where we keep calm and have faith. They will put things into perspective for us. It will help us to allow Christ to be born in
us and bourn in us. What are you writing
down, Dear Reader?
I Need
a Silent Night – Amy Grant
I've made the same mistake before
Too many malls, too many stores
December traffic, Christmas rush
It breaks me till I push and shove
Children are crying while mothers are trying
To photograph Santa and sleigh
The shopping and buying and standing forever in line
What can I say?
I need a silent night, a holy night
To hear an angel voice through the chaos and the noise
I need a midnight clear, a little peace right here
To end this crazy day with a silent night
December comes then disappears
Faster and faster every year
Did my own mother keep this pace?
Or was the world a different place?
Where people stayed home wishing for snow
Watching three channels on their TV
Look at us now rushing around
Trying to buy Christmas peace
I need a silent night, a holy night
To hear an angel voice through the chaos and the noise
I need a midnight clear, a little peace right here
To end this crazy day with a silent night
What was it like back there in Bethlehem?
With peace on earth, goodwill toward men?
And there were shepherd's out in the field
Keeping watch over their flocks by night
And the glory of the Lord shone around them
And they were sore afraid
And the angels said fear not, for behold
I bring you good news of a great joy that shall be for
all people
For unto you is born this day a Savior, who is Christ the
Lord
And his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Prince
of Peace
I need a silent night, a holy night
To hear an angel voice through the chaos and the noise
I need a midnight clear, a little peace right here
To end this crazy day with a silent night
To end this crazy day with a silent night
Wishing you joy in the journey,
Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become
a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a homeowner. He liberally
hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”
(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Every human story is part of the great story that leads
to the Father getting everything back to Good.
Contacts for Aramis
Thorn:
#aramisthorn
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