Sometimes the greatest lessons in life can be learned by getting lost...
Could've come like a mighty storm With all the strength of a hurricane You could've come like a forest fire With the power of Heaven in Your flame But You came like a winter snow Quiet and soft and slow Falling from the sky in the night To the earth below ~Chris Tomlin "Winter Snow" I have this love-hate relationship with winter. I love it from indoors and hate it when I have to venture out or do some task, or heaven forbid snow-blow. I love the serene quality as I watch from my window today. The beauty of the falling flakes, nestled with the movement of ice down the river causes for the briefest of moments a pause, a rest, and a hope. I love the view of freshly fallen snowflakes or the beauty of a cardinal with its red flush breaking the whiteness of the landscape. This season is about stopping, looking, and wondering.
Yet, the reality is that in just a few brief moments, I will have to venture out into this beautiful landscape and drive icy roads home, slug out the snowblower, and fight against cold winds and ice. It seems like, for the briefest of moments, the stillness is in the longing. I long for peace, tranquility, and to watch the dance of snow as it cascades down from the heavens. A reading from Matthew: 2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi[a] from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him." 3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written: 6 "'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.' [b]" 7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me so that I too may go and worship him." 9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. ~Matthew 2:1-12 (NIV) Did you catch that? A baby born in Bethlehem. The wise men follow a star. They follow it to a place where they would find a baby. Can you imagine the moment? A baby born in Bethlehem was worth the journey. The wise men, discovering the house where the baby was born, saw a child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him. What is so magnificent that it would be worth noting, stooping low, and taking in that which was before them? The wise men, seeing the beauty at that moment are so overtaken that they worship, they offer their good gifts, and spend time there. Yet, in the very next breath, they, having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, return to their country by another route. In the fleeting wink of a moment, they are thrust back into the reality of the world they live in. The venture out into the unknown, they know the dangers, and they go. I can't believe that these wise men didn't hold the beauty of what they witnessed within their hearts. I can't believe that they did pause and take a moment with them as they went out in the world. I can't believe that they weren't filled with hope as they ventured off out into the great unknown. I think they clasped tightly to that promised Messiah and held ever so tightly to the place where God showed up. As you go out into the world, my hope and longing are that you would know of God's love and promise for you. Even though you go into the uncertainty of life, the challenges of medical procedures, the difficulty of family issues, or whatever else life throws at you. I want you to know that you carry with you the beauty of these moments. When a tiny baby enters in when beauty can be seen around, you take a moment to bear witness to that and carry it with you as you go out into the world. May the peace of Christ go with you today and may you stop and take notice!
1 Comment
10/9/2022 12:53:34 pm
Grow consumer fish series. Without then environment.
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AuthorHusband, Dad, Seminary Student, Hopeful Future Pastor. Learning to lean into God's better perspective. Click to set custom HTML
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Copyright of Jeremy Hallquist © 2018
All views and opinions are my own.
All views and opinions are my own.