Hectic Time - The somewhat different Advent Calender XX ...

Thursday, Dec 20, 2012. The weeks before Christmas are hectic weeks for many of us. A colleague told me some days ago: it is terrible, there are still so many things to complete by the end of the year, it is a stressful time, the advent. Yes, the December is usually one of the active times in business - not only for shops and chains, but also for production and manufacturing.

Busy and time to reflect at the same time? …

It will probably not be possible to be very busy and have time to reflect at the same time. But both is needed, and in particular if we are very busy, we need to think more about how to organize ourselves. The more work you have to do, the smarter you need to approach it and use synergies. When you have a lot to do, you need to be efficient.

We might also question the amount of work, we have to do. Do we really need to do this or that? What is it, that is flooding our days? What is it, that is filling them with activities which do not give us the impression to be in control of our time and our feelings. In our family we had a discussion about this recently, since with two working and three kids the feeling of “no time left for anything” can come quickly.

Currently, the kids are having their last days in school before the Christmas break. Each of them had several tests to write this week, so they were very busy and also quite nervous. Further, the school chose the last two days for various school trips, one is going to a museum today, the other to an exhibition tomorrow. Nothing to calmly sit at home and enjoy life, but further organization is needed to bring this kid here and that kid there, provide cash and food etc etc. The things they do are great … but no chance for a calm place!

Jesus in the middle of a busy environment …

When you read the Christmas story, it is far away from being in a calm place either. The parents of Jesus had to travel to Bethlehem, there was a lot going on and no places left in local hotels and hostels. You can imagine how full of difficulties the situation must have been.

God comes to us, in Jesus. He is coming into all our trouble, all our business, all our activities and into our stress. The peace of Christmas is not a peace which would just stop the activities of our life. But it is a peace which is changing everything from within! Christmas talks about a little baby, which is born in the middle of a needy world. It is born with needy parents, in circumstances which are far from being perfect!

But in the middle of all the trouble, Christmas is showing the wonders of the Lord. There are suddenly the shepherds, which come and worship the kid. There are the kings from the far east, which take a brief moment after weeks of travel, to come and bow down. There are the angels, singing and cheering. In the middle of a needy world. In the middle of danger. Joseph and Mary had to flee to Egypt right after the birth. It was dangerous, and difficult. God came, he came into our trouble. Perhaps the advent time reflects many of these things in a much more authentic way than we sometimes realize? Do we belong to those, who open their hearts in the middle of hectic activities and worship the Lord? (Roland Potthast) ... more texts