Second Saturday of Advent
Originally posted Monday, December 28, 2009
On Christmas Eve as I sat in a candlelight service at church, I became momentarily overwhelmed by the changes that life has brought. Just two years ago I sat in that same place with Debra. Last year she was gone from us and I spent Christmas with family elsewhere. This year I sat in church with new friends.
It’s enough to take your breath away, and for a moment that’s what it did to me. I wanted to stand up and shout, “God, please, no more changes!”
Had I done that, I would have interrupted the telling of the Christmas story in scripture, carol and homily – a story that hasn’t changed for more than 2000 years, and that has been a common thread woven through every one of the 50 Christmases I’ve experienced.
People come and go, gifts delight and then fade, but the story remains constant.