During the Christmas Eve service at Tabernacle Presbyterian in Indianapolis, the sermon focused on the anticipation of Christmas Eve. The description was about the concept of the meniscus that forms when the molecules of a liquid cling more closely to one another than to the sides of the container forming a convex curve. One more drop of liquid and the container will overflow. Truly, the feeling that you are about to burst if Christmas morning does not come soon!
One of my favorite hymn s of the Advent season from the Lutheran hymnal was called Unexpected and Mysterious. I like that idea. I always try to surprise my family with unexpected gifts that were not on their “list”! The advent of the birth of Christ seems so logical now when we look back on it. Knowing about the life of Christ and the traditions that surround this celebration make this event seem mundane.
The spirit of the celebration is still about the Unknown.
The anticipation we can feel about the unexpected and mysterious workings that are going on behind the scenes in our own lives can cause us to be fearful just as it did for many individuals surround the Christ child. We may be prepared for the expected. We may have correctly anticipated reality.
Are we ready for the unexpected? Are we willing to recognize the mysterious? How can we calm our fear, trust in the divine plan orchestrated by Love, and embrace the unexpected and mysterious as it enters our lives in 2012?