We say that the spirit of Christmas is the spirit of giving. That’s all well and good–noble, to be sure! But the children know otherwise. It’s about receiving. Christmas is all about making your list, checking it twice, and looking to see if Santa is naughty or nice.
The Christian story of Christmas is all about receiving. The holiday proclaims the good news that God has given the gift of Immanuel, the incarnate Son of God, who has come to be our Savior. What’s more, in his teaching ministry, that Savior kept offering us additional gifts. He even pleaded with his followers to ask, to seek, and to knock, promising that they would receive, find, and discover doors open to them.
So in that spirit–the spirit of receiving–I want to share my list, my asks, my seeks, my knocks. What do I want for Christmas this year?
First, I’m asking for the obvious: peace on earth. Specifically, I’m asking baby Jesus to create in our political leaders the courage and will to sit down at the table with those other nations’ leaders they’ve written off in the past. Yes, some threaten evil. Some are causing terrible harm. But distancing ourselves from them only reinforces their actions and helps them rationalize their behavior. If God was willing to visit a wholly hostile human race on that Bethlehem morning, perhaps we do well to visit our enemies, too.
Second, I’m asking for peace of another kind. May God give us the kind of peace that turns paralyzing, intramural skirmishes into creative, informative partnerships. The obvious place to start is in the pursuit of bipartisan leadership in Washington. A big challenge. How about an easier place to begin–the church–those who worship the Prince of Peace? Might we hope that this Christmas might bring multilateral disarmament–an end to the tossing of rhetorical grenades–and a rediscovery of the Christian virtue of “speaking the truth in love?”
Third, I’m asking for the gift of leadership. Linda Valentine, our new GAC executive director, has been forming her staff, and all evidence suggests careful and visionary thinking behind each appointment. Will those leaders be able to lead this part of the body of Christ into effective ministry and mission here and abroad? May Jesus grant them courage and wisdom. May he grant the rest of us a spirit of respect and grace toward them.
Fourth, I’m asking for redress for all kinds of injustice, from the denial of economic opportunity to the abuse being suffered in too many homes, from the displacement of political refugees to the growing practice of kidnapping-unto-slavery, from the violence of rogue terrorists to the state-sponsored violence being waged against peoples whose very existence inconveniences the ruling majority.
Fifth, I’m asking for more people to get to know the Savior himself. May the message to packed pews on Christmas Eve fill hearts with hunger to know, and a readiness to receive God’s indescribable Gift.
Finally, selfishly, I’m asking the Lord to give me more time with my grown children and little grandchildren.
It is the season for asking, is it not?
— JHH
