JR. Forasteros - December 11, 2016

Get a Grip!

Pure Imagination

For those with less-than-perfect lives, the Christmas season can sometimes feel like wandering in a desert, thirsty for the holiday cheer that seems to come so easily for others. The prophet Isaiah spoke to a people living in a sort of wilderness of their own, and his words help us see how we can pursue life and hope even in the midst of our own deserts because the desert is where we learn to love God best.

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I don’t know about you, but I’ve reached that point in my holiday season where I’m just about out of holiday cheer. The other day, I was talking with my wife, Amanda, about a couple of possible events we had coming up. I asked her, “What do you have going on this date and this date?” and before I could even tell her what I was asking about, she said, “Say no. Say we’re busy.”

We walk a delicate balance every year on this road to Christmas: we’re in nearly constant movement between preparation and celebration, back and forth from parties to shopping to pageants to decorating. And it can get so exhausting that we sort of lose the reason for all this in the midst of it.

So let’s take a big, deep breath.

We need a chance to come together and rejoice. We need to celebrate together. Whether it’s the party plans we’ve got to get to later or the real work of justice we know God is calling us to as a part of our Advent journey, we need to stop and remember that everything we’re doing is in response to the God who has already accomplished the work of saving us.

Join us Sunday as we pause to rejoice in the midst of our preparation!

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