I love Advent season. Especially those moments of quiet when we pause from the preparations and take time to consider the first Christmas. Though it sometimes seems like the main point of the season is the matching decorations, sparkly new clothes and expensive gifts, Christians know there is more to it than that.
These last few days of Advent are often filled with nativity plays and despite best efforts these often don’t go exactly to plan. Similarly, if somebody asked Mary how her life would turn out she probably wouldn’t have said she intended to have an angel announce she had been chosen to be the mother of God. As she travelled for miles while heavily pregnant, she might have felt things hadn’t quite gone to plan. Giving birth in a stable wasn’t ideal either, but she trusted in God’s purpose. Mary felt all the Hope, Peace, Joy and Love that Christians meditate on during Advent, despite her unusual circumstances.
When you consider Christmas, are you able to drop the need to follow your own plan? Are you like Mary, who seemed to take the surprises in her stride and rise to the challenge?
Let’s try to take the pressure off and enjoy those unplanned moments. Embrace the times when unexpected guests drop by and make the most of the time we have with friends and family, even if these gatherings can sometimes mean mismatched chairs around an extended table and arguments over the perfect Christmas Day menu.
Mrs Laura Henshall, Children, Youth and Families Worker, West Highland Region, Scottish Episcopal Church.