The Holy Calm

This past week, we’ve all had the busy time of Christmas! The lights, the dinners, the gifts, the cards… the church prayers, the singing, the candles, the décor! It has been wonderful!

Even without some last minute changes, the week was a long one, with much planning and printing and coordinating and collaborating. To-do lists become to-do charts at this time of year. Mine were colour-coded.

And what a blessing it is! The absolute elation of gathering together, with joy in our hearts, to celebrate the nativity.

…and when it’s all over, and folks have gone home, there’s a hush that falls in the sacred space.
It’s a beautiful thing to behold: for it is not an emptiness, just a different level of holy presence.

This year, as I sat alone for a few minutes on Christmas Day, I gave thanks for all that had gone into making Christmas be SO very meaningful for so many people: knowing that each component on its own augmented and enhanced every other element. From musical leadership to placement of flowers; new ornaments ‘sprucing up’ the trees (pun intended); the greeters and readers, the altar guild and proof-readers, the pray-ers and videographers… the list is truly immense.

It was truly spectacular.

And in that empty church, with the lights off, the sparkle diminished, the jubilation quietened: the joy continued. For as with so many things in the church (and in our lives), a loving presence pervades even when we aren’t there to witness it.

What we show the world is a culmination of previous efforts and intentions. Be it in the beautiful chaos or the calmer aftermath: the love is undeniable, and the blessings abundant.
However we celebrate Christmas, big or small, with many or with few, we have the chance to remember those holy moments, and to carry that joy with us into the New Year.

Worth the Effort

I am a snacker.
I enjoy snacking; I often have nibbles somewhere close by when I am doing my work or reading or watching the hockey game or...
The dogs know which snacks I am likely to share with them, and which ones are people-only.

I tend to portion out my snacks (to reduce the chance of over-snackage); and some snacks are easier than others at slowing the eating process.
This week, my snack of choice has been pistachios.
The thing with pistachios is that snacking needs to be done intentionally. And not just in terms of portion control!
The shells need to removed from each nut; a process that takes two hands. The shells then need to be disposed of; a side bowl is handy while adding another step. The saltiness of the shells transfers to my fingers, so I am less likely to read or type to keep my things clean.

They are lovely, and the benefits of intentionality are definitely worth the effort.
And they make me consider the effort: for so much of our food these days can be easily acquired and ingested; we don’t always (often) consider each bite as we eat.
Our other intakes can be similar: our earbuds bring us a steady stream of music, so much that we may forget what song we heard last. Our scrolling through the social media algorithm may normalise a few points of view that we forget there are others. Our entertainment choices can influence our moods.

Like with my pistachios, we can also be intentional about our consumption and habits:
We can choose to immerse ourselves in prayer on a daily basis. We can decide to support a service agency. We can collaborate with neighbours to enhance our communities.
There are so many ways we can act with intentionality – a little mindfulness can be a good thing. In our world of instant gratification, a small change, a slowing down, a purposeful pause can make a big difference. If they lead to good things, they are definitely worth the effort.

Finding Happiness

On this third Sunday of Advent, many will be leaning into the “rejoice!” message from Philippians 4.4. “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say rejoice!”

I often aim to distinguish between the message of joy (eternal and divine) and that of happiness (earthly and temporary). Both are good! But they speak differently to our lives. This doesn’t mean that we should seek joy and ignore happiness; nor the other way around. While our faith guides us into realising the joy of the Lord that lives within us, we can also seek to find glimmers of happiness that bring smiles to our faces for a time.

This past week, I had some such moments – with laughter and frivolity. They were passing moments: watching Santa Claus walking into a local school – and waving enthusiastically at all the cars driving past. Giggling at a funny reel on social media. Laughing through a silly game with friends, where we replace the word “girls” with “Squirrels” in song titles (Squirrels Just Wanna Have Fun, California Squirrels, Squirrel in a Country Song – etc), finishing the novel for next month’s book club. There were connections with friends and family: quick phone calls and texts. Dog snuggles. Receiving a thank-you email. An unexpected collection of goodies (since labeled my Advent Sanity Snacks in the office fridge!)

The more I started to think of the moments of happiness, the more I realised there had been many such moments.

And the more I started reflecting on why these things made me happy, the more I recognised the presence of joy – in the gifts of the people and circumstances in my life, where God is revealing grace and love and goodness.

It’s not to say that there are not times of stress, and challenges to overcome, especially with the to-do-list(s) for the coming couple of weeks. But it is a reminder of the glimmers and smiles that carry more importance than the gloominess of grey days and December blahs.

So let us rejoice in the Lord: and seek happiness with each other. For both enrich our lives beyond our imaginations.