This morning I am indulging an a rare luxury for a pastor. I am sitting quietly in my room with a cup of coffee and a donut on a Sunday morning. It's the last day of a week of vacation and it makes me smile to think that the hustle and busyness of the Sunday morning church routine is going on without me. I cherish the opportunities I have to sit quietly and reflect. I wish I had more.
For the past three days the words of the third stanza of O Little Town of Bethlehem have been an earworm in my mind. Actually, I didn't realize it was O Little Town until this morning. The fact that it is the third stanza is even more interesting. Over the years many Christmas carols have imprinted their first stanza in my memory and occasionally a second stanza but rarely a third. In case you aren't familiar with this particular stanza:
Silently, how silently
The wondrous gift is given
So God imparts to human hearts
The wondrous gifts of heaven
No ear may hear his coming
But in this world of sin
Where meek souls will receive him still
The dear Christ enters in
I've always thought of these words as refering to the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. It was the quiet, almost unnoticed birth of a child in the poor part of town that was being referenced. But it is way more than that.
It is about the way that the Divine enters our lives every day: In the silent moments of reflection. In the meekness of gratitude and the realization that all of life and everything about it is a gift. Aren't these the places where grace and wonder come alive? Aren't these the times when we recognize the goodness that is in all the other places?
In my mind, Christmas is not just about December 25 or a single birth that took place in Bethlehem over 2000 years ago. Christmas is about the constant rebirth of love and wonder in our lives that can happen every day. We simply need to be quiet for a bit to see it.
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