(A)The...
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(A)
The Christmas decorations went up way too early in our town one year. Barely a leaf had fallen when large plastic bells appeared all over the lamps on Main Street. The "Seasons Greetings" banner swung in a warm breeze, and throughout the community there was a general feeling that somebody had "gotten the things out a bit soon."
The day after this sudden entrance into the Christmas season, I came upon a young fellow, about six years old, who captured what the rest of us were feeling. He stood on the curb in front of the fire station, arms folded, and gazed up at the green and red decoration affixed to the lamp opposite him. "My gosh," he muttered, "we haven't even taken care of the pilgrims yet!" Then, trying to make the best of a confusing situation, he headed up the street singing "Turkey bells, Turkey bells, Turkey all the way!"
What is a good, fitting preparation for Christmas? Some preparations can be too early. Some can be too late. ("Clara, did you mail our present to Aunt Jean and Uncle Ed?" "No. You said you would." "Argh!") The preparations that count most lastingly, though, don't have so much to do with our sense of timing as with the depth of our thought. In our passage from the Old Testament, Jeremiah points the way towards the most solid of Christmas preparations. "Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise." What better way is there for each of us to prepare for Christmas now, and in the weeks to come, than to think on God's promise of love and on how we can share that promise and receive that promise into our hearts?
- Doughty
The Christmas decorations went up way too early in our town one year. Barely a leaf had fallen when large plastic bells appeared all over the lamps on Main Street. The "Seasons Greetings" banner swung in a warm breeze, and throughout the community there was a general feeling that somebody had "gotten the things out a bit soon."
The day after this sudden entrance into the Christmas season, I came upon a young fellow, about six years old, who captured what the rest of us were feeling. He stood on the curb in front of the fire station, arms folded, and gazed up at the green and red decoration affixed to the lamp opposite him. "My gosh," he muttered, "we haven't even taken care of the pilgrims yet!" Then, trying to make the best of a confusing situation, he headed up the street singing "Turkey bells, Turkey bells, Turkey all the way!"
What is a good, fitting preparation for Christmas? Some preparations can be too early. Some can be too late. ("Clara, did you mail our present to Aunt Jean and Uncle Ed?" "No. You said you would." "Argh!") The preparations that count most lastingly, though, don't have so much to do with our sense of timing as with the depth of our thought. In our passage from the Old Testament, Jeremiah points the way towards the most solid of Christmas preparations. "Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise." What better way is there for each of us to prepare for Christmas now, and in the weeks to come, than to think on God's promise of love and on how we can share that promise and receive that promise into our hearts?
- Doughty
