The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
—1 Kings 19: 11-13 (NIV)
The Lord said,
“Go into Advent
and open your heart
for the incarnation of Christ
is coming.”
I said, “Yes, Lord.
May it be to me as you
have said.”
My neighbours
put up twinkling lights
and a tree full of memories,
sent cards to dear friends,
and baked sugar cookies.
But I didn’t want to do any of those things.
Others held Christmas at bay,
tightened their belts,
and sat vigil,
while I filled my calendar
with yeses.
But the Lord didn’t need a room in my inn.
Advent was almost over
when I arrived once again at the corner of
Not Doing It Right
and
The Fear of Missing Out.
I turned around
and saw
God
incarnate
in everyone
I said yes to.
Ready my heart for the birth of Immanuel
Ready my soul for the Prince of Peace
Heap the straw of my life
For His body to lie on
Light the candle of hope
Let the child come in
–from Ready My Heart
∗ ∗ ∗
Fred and I have been doing less Christmas shopping because we don’t want to buy gifts that will eventually end up in a landfill. We are giving experiences instead. On Saturday, we took our twelve-year-old grandchildren to a “nerd bar.”Everywhere we looked in the Storm Crow Alehouse, there was memorabilia from fantasy and science fiction movies and books. From the shelves of board games, we chose Dominos then moved on to Kittens in a Blender. We ordered fun non-alcoholic drinks and “potions” made with dry ice and glowing ice cubes and delicious food including a Greta Thun Burger with chickpea fries.
We’re not the only ones who celebrate Christmas this way. The community on Kingfisher Farm have a White Elephant gift exchange. Each person finds something at home that they’d like to give away and would make someone laugh. Then they wrap it up in newspaper or reuse a gift bag and voilà. We tried it with our contemplative group at our Christmas potluck. Finally, I knew what to do with my handmade ornament of baby Jesus in a walnut shell with the head missing.
What love mischief are you and God doing for the world?
Let me know and I will include it in an upcoming post.
An Everyday Pilgrim 
“At the corner of not doing it right and the fear of missing out.” That resonates perfectly for me! Thank you! I wonder how much of that has to do with being a mother and always wanting to create a meaningful experience for your family.
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Thanks, Marcia. I’m glad it resonated with you. Thanks for sharing why it did. Hope you had a happy Christmas.
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