There is a popular Christmas song called, “I’ll Be Home for Christmas”. It is a song about the desire be with family and friends on Christmas. It speaks of the longing to be in contact with and present to others through the traditions and customs of Christmas. The song expresses what Christmas is all about: Making contact and being present.
Christmas is the celebration of God’s desire to be in contact with us by becoming one of us. God’s presence through Jesus changed the world forever. God’s contact with the world through Jesus means that everything that separates and keeps us from being in contact with and present to each other can be healed and restored.
Christmas invites us to make contact. We are encouraged to be present again to God by reconnecting with our spiritual selves. Yes, we are flesh and blood. We are also soul and spirit. Christmas calls us to remember that all time and space on earth is sacred because it is here where we first meet God.
Christmas invites us to be in contact with others, remembering that it is our presence to each other that makes life meaningful. Being present means sharing our feelings, thoughts, desires, dreams, fears and disappointments with those we love. In the frenetic activity of our lives it is easy to lose contact and to grow distant. We can bring new energy into our lives by connecting again with those who may be very near or who have been very far away.
Christmas invites us to make contact with the world. The world is bigger than our immediate circle of family and friends. Through our presence, we can do something about the condition of the world we live in. The harshness of the world needs the gentleness of Jesus whose birth in a cold and harsh shelter for animals led to a world redeemed by the warmth of God’s unconditional love.
May the Christmas presence we give this year bring gentleness and warmth to the world.
A blessed Christmas to all,
Very Rev. Christopher Smith, Rector