Doubting like Luther, and trying to test like a Berean, this is where I think aloud about Christian belief and practice. It is also where I share resources of interest to other struggling believers.

Baptized and confirmed in the American Lutheran Church, I explored New Age spirituality for a time but have since worshiped the Trinitarian God of Christianity in many different churches, my denominational preference being Lutheran. I believe in salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. My greatest struggle is prayer. My greatest annoyance is legalism and the notion that blind obedience to the Law will bring sanctification. My greatest fear is that I don't believe correctly. Yet, my greatest hope is that as I grow in my understanding of the grace that God extends to me daily, I will grow in my ability to walk in and demonstrate that grace to others.

Monday, November 28, 2011

Same Old, Same Old?

Scripture:  Psalm 80:1-7

So, what is "the same old Christmas?"  According to my Advent devotional from Lutheran Hour Ministries, it is holding expectations of the perfect Christmas, only to have them dashed by the reality of the Christmas that unfolds in your life.
Are you hoping for the perfect, fairy-tale Christmas this year?  You know, it's the kind with award-winning decorations inside and outside your house, family gatherings and parties filled with laughter, everyone excited about your presents and keeping your budget from sinking in the process.

Odds are the next 28 days aren't going to run smoothly.  There never seems to be enough money;  gatherings and parities often have more tension than laughter;  and those presents your kids wanted on December 7 aren't always the same ones they want on December 24!
So, does the "perfect" Christmas exist?  Is it even possible?  Can we avoid the problems that arise in trying to "pull off" the perfect holiday?  I don't think so, at least not this side of Heaven.  We live in a fallen world, which means every Christmas will be fallen in some way, especially if we focus on temporal, earthly things like imaginatively wrapped presents, a beautifully set dining table, or a gorgeously decorated home.  Arguably, those things will all make Christmas look great, but is that the heart of the holiday, or "holy day?"  No.  Jesus is the heart, the center, the life-blood, if you will.

The scripture passage for today is a prayer, a calling out to God for restoration.  Three times, the Psalmist asks God to act and to save:

Restore us, O God;  let your face shine, that we may be saved. (verse 3)
Restore us, O God of hosts;  let your face shine, that we may be saved. (verse 7)
Restore us, O Lord God of hosts;  let your face shine, that we may be saved. (verse 19)

Maybe that is the embodiment of the "perfect" Christmas:  restoration?  To be brought back, transformed?

Yet, even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;  rend your hearts and not your clothing.  Return to the Lord, your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing. --- Joel 2:12-13 (NRSV)

May God transform you and your Christmas this year.

To read today's devotional, click here.
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