I am a people person which is why I'm glad for a busy lifestyle and yet here, for a moment, I sit. Currently I am playing, and replaying, and replaying one of my favorite modern Christmas songs "Born In Bethlehem" by Third Day. I have lots of favorites and I am the type of person who starts listening to Christmas music as soon as Halloween is over, but I seriously love the season.
I am glad to be here in Alaska because I hear that back home it's a black Christmas. I really love the snow. No matter how many times the snowflakes dance from above, how many early mornings of scooping snow of the car, or getting stuck there is something simply magical about snow.
So I sit here thinking about this. I'm not sure if I love snow because it's snow, or if I love snow because I associate it with Christmas. I look around this house and something is missing. Unfortunately this year I do not have a tree. Since the owners are gone on vacation they did not put one up, me being me, I set my desktop background to a Christmas tree. Back home we always had a HUGE tree. Each branch had it's own string of lights on it, but again I don't think it's the tree I love so much as Christmas itself.
I would not normally take the time to notice these things as it seems I fly from one thing to the next, with great anticipation and agenda and yet, in this moment I sit, in rest, with no particular place to be, or task to accomplish.
I came across a picture online that really got me thinking. "King Size Bed" is the caption. WHOA! I think about a King Size bed as the size of a bed. A hefty, comfy, big enough to sprawl out on bed. But this really adds new meaning.
The Children's Christmas Service complete, the carols have been sung and services have been attended. Hope has been offered, joy has been celebrated, love has been revered and peace has invaded. The Angels have harked, Shepherds have watched, and the Magi have followed. And… and… most importantly, the Christ child has been honored, worshiped and adored.
It’s a busy time of year.
As we prepare for Christmas, I am now looking forward to resting. One of the reasons that Jesus came was to give us divine rest from the tumultuous life that our brokenness and confusion has brought us. But soon, really soon, I am grateful that I am able to enjoy this rest in a comfortable bed!
Let me share with you a few thoughts about the kind of bed that you need to rest in if you want to experience divine rest this Christmas.
What kind of bed will you rest in?
Will it be a Single or Twin Bed?
Some will sleep in a single (or twin bed) this Christmas. Why such size beds are called twin, I do not know. Their size makes it comfortable for “twins” to sleep in! By this, I mean that they will rest alone. Maybe not physically, but rest alone because the focus of their Christmas is all about them. They are consumed by the gifts that they will receive, the joy that they will give, and the fun that they can consume. I confess that for the majority of my Christmases, I’ve laid in a single bed, defining Christmas by how festive I felt and rather crudely, the kind of gifts I received. Honestly, it’s hard to rest well in a selfish single bed because, as Augustine said about God, “Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you”. We cannot satisfy ourselves at Christmas in the way that God longs we be satisfied.
Will it be a Double or Queen Size Bed?
Some will try and rest in a metaphorical double size bed, because their Christmas season is centered on spending it with loved ones. This is a comfortable and cozy way to find rest, because we share it with those who are so special to us. I know families whose children are returning from military service for the first time on Christmas Eve. Family members who are flying in from around the world to gather together and many people who will gather in groups because Christmas for them is only special if it is spent with loved ones. This is a good – a great - thing, but it does not provide the deep, abiding, replenishing rest that our souls require. Don’t believe me? …How often have we spent Christmas in the presence of family only to depart more exhausted than when we arrived?
Or will it be a King Sized Bed?
A king size bed looks just like this picture. It’s not really a bed. It’s a manger. It holds a King. It can look uncomfortable at times; it is without much tinsel and decoration. But it’s the bed where Jesus, the King, lies. It is as we rest in him that our souls are satisfied, our sins are forgiven, our hope is actualized, our dreams can be realized and where full life can be found. This year, this Christmas season, Jesus wants to give you rest. But that rest is not going to be found in the selfishness of a single bed. It won’t be found in a double bed shared with loved ones. It’ll be found in a King Size bed as you find your strength and source in Jesus Christ.
So here I sit. Resting in this house all to myself, replaying this song
"Halleluiah, the King is here, given for all men.
For today the Holy Son of God, is born in Bethlehem."
Merry Christmas friend. Rest well.
No comments:
Post a Comment