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An Old Testament Christmas, part 1: What Happens When You Sleep (First Sunday of Advent)
“The very old priest at the altar knelt and rose and raised God in his hands; what did it matter in the long run, anyway? God didn’t cease to exist when men lost their faith in Him…He had Eternity on his side.”
- Graham Greene, The Lawless Roads
“The Church believes that among Jesus’ major contributions to history, and certainly to faith, is the gift of an opened and so somewhat demystified Heaven…”
-Frederick Dale Bruner, The Gospel of John: A Commentary
How and where does God show up? “Christmastime” would tell us that God shows up with a lit fire, near a family unwrapping gifts, or in Grandma’s smile, or a freshly fallen snow. He does show up there, I suppose, but many will not have such a commercial, Western scene this year. Some have never had it. While God might show up in the idyllic, it’s good news to know he’s not limited to the predicable places.
Or perhaps you’re just tired this year, and, with the country shut down again, it’s impossible to think of ways to make this year “special,” so you won’t. Can God still arrive in our lives when we are away from the familiar scenes that remind us of his faithfulness? What does God do when I can do nothing to sense his presence?
