His Presence for Christmas

She had paused at the end of the afternoon,

as the sun was setting in the west, and the moon was rising in the east.

Paused there at the lone cottonwood tree after finding that the trail up the hill was too deeply covered with snow to allow her shoes to go on. 

She had wanted to find a little trysting spot somewhere along the way,

just to say something simple.

The song the pastor and his wife had sung near the end of last Sunday's candlelight service was still playing itself over and over in her mind:

"Your presence for Christmas."

What we really need is Your presence, Lord, for Christmas!

It had been sacred moments, those moments listening to this heartfelt song.

Not a hand stirred to clap as they had for other pieces.

The moments, the music, and the prayer of the song were too sacred.

And tears had moistened a mother's eyes, bloodshot with weariness, because that song put into a few words her heart's prayer for this Christmas:

"All I ask for Christmas is Your presence!"

She had written a few ideas down for her husband and children in case they couldn't think of anything particular.

New dish cloths.

Apricots, dates, or golden raisins.

Herbal coffee substitute.

Tillamook cheese. 

Pistachios.

Fruit flavored herbal or zinger tea.

She didn't really want anything lavish.

She was a pretty simple person--content with the basics--

and a bit of country charm.

But she had sat there for just a few moments that evening, looking through the branches of the cottonwood at the moon rising,

and saying this one simple sentence:

"I just want Your presence for Christmas!"

It's hard to know how to get that--His presence.
How to feel it, sense it, know it.

The next day, the same mother walked the same trail, only in boots this time.

She passed her usual trysting spot, filled with snow.

On up the trail a ways she stopped, listened to the wind.

The quiet was amazing.

Up further was a windmill turning in the breeze.

Christ had said that just as you can't see the wind, neither can you see the Spirit.
You can't see His presence.

The things of the Spirit can't be seen with the eyes, 

or felt with the hands
or tasted or heard necessarily.

Yet the things of the Spirit are as real as the wind, the windmill, the snow, the sunshine,

the dripping of the snow melting in the little ditch

and forming one single little round frozen drop.

A little moment of Pennsylvania.

A small sense of something actually wet and gurgling,

of ice cracking underfoot into wetness underneath.

She sat on the bank of the other side of the small trees there along the path.

Last night's snow was shimmering white and totally smooth.

It was so utterly beautiful--the scene, and those moments of quietness,

just the Lord and her.

Your presence, Lord!
We seek You in the middle of the grind of daily life,

in the middle of Christmas vacation when school is laid aside and we take time to clean cupboards and vacuum edges and send Christmas greetings to friends.

Raising a large family of many children has taught me a lot about what the presence of Christ really means. 

I'm the kind of person who, though I love times of noise and laughter and fellowship and fun
and though I scream the loudest at volleyball games and home school competitions,
I also long for quiet, and peace, and time to ponder.

I love to write the thoughts that come to me.

But sometimes my life is filled to the brim with duties and noise and children underfoot and their squabbles in my hair and all through the house,

and the presence of Christ seems to evade me.

Teach us how to find Your presence, Lord Jesus, for Christmas!

In the white of the snow.

In the quiet of a country walk.

In humble moments of intercessory prayer.

In the surprise of bird songs in the lone cottonwood tree.

 In learning patience through suffering.
In rejoicing with those who rejoice--missionaries in Papua New Guinea rejoicing that nine boys from the orphanage gave their hearts to Jesus last night--
Missionaries in Uganda rejoicing over conversions after seeing the "Jesus" film, women delivered from witchcraft, and people hearing about Jesus who had never heard of Him before.
In the joys of ministering through Christmas caroling to others.

 In the sharing of your heart with someone you love--

getting down to brass tax, being honest, being up front, sometimes making mistakes,

confronting, apologizing, seeking to understand,

asking forgiveness, giving a hug,

being reconciled.

Yes, the presence of God comes through being reconciled to our husband or our wife,

to our mother or father, sister or brother,

extended family, church family,

neighbors, friends, enemies.

It happened again this morning--a problem, things happening around us bringing up old pain, talking it out, saying sorry, hugging, 

being completely reconciled, expressing tenderness and love

and can hardly wait to be together again. 

That's His presence for Christmas.

In the forgiving of oneself when others won't forgive.

In releasing blame, whether of yourself or of others, in situations where you have done all you could  and still there isn't reconciliation.

In putting into God's hands all the things you cannot control--
remembering that the only thing you can control is yourself--
and even that only by the grace of God. 

That is His presence for Christmas.

In remembering that when Christ came, 

He brought goodwill to men,

but He also said that He came not to bring peace but a sword. 

And sometimes that sword divides especially at Christmas time

when the ways of the world contrast sharply with the ways of Christ-followers.

Recognizing the inevitable divisions and heartache that will happen

when you choose to follow and love Christ and His will and commands

more than your closest relations or friends and their expectations or opinions--

that is His presence for Christmas.

In the work and the practice and the humdrum of life--which sometimes gets done on our knees--

in the reaching out to new folks at church,

in the inviting of someone of another race and color to our table at the church Christmas party,

in trying to make life a little easier for someone else,

by putting our shoulder under their load just a little.

That is His presence for Christmas.

Lord, we want Your presence for Christmas, a presence not just felt in the denying of ourselves and the doing of Your will,

but in the recognition of You-

the great I AM.

The One Who loves us with an everlasting love. 

 And though we cannot always feel Your presence,

we can know it is there,

by faith in the Great and the Lowly I AM. 

Let Your love flow both to, in and through us

this Christmas season!

Amen.