Is Christmas over at your house—or wherever you are staying?
Are the decorations still in place, or have they all been taken down and stored away for another year? Are you still focused on the incredible gift of incarnation—of God daring to become one of us? Or are you already focused on the year ahead, and what you will seek and strive to accomplish?
This past week I edited one of what will probably be a million articles and posts on taking a look back at 2014 before diving into 2015. What I liked about the article was the desire of the writer to focus on taking the time to complete 2014 before diving into 2015. He planned to take some time to really focus, and be present, to what needed attention in his life—and had some good, strong, creative and spiritual ways to do that.
I would like to encourage each of us, sometime in the week ahead, to take a few moments—or even a few hours—to prayerfully reflect on celebrating Christ’s incarnation. It is still the season of Christmas, and will be for more than another week. Rather than rushing into what the new year has to offer, take some time to give thanks for what the old year has given.
How might you spend that time? What do you need to complete? What has the incarnation of Jesus into the world really meant in your life?
For me, especially as I get older and sink more deeply into contemplation, I savor the four weeks of Advent which precede Christmas. With that preparation, the joyous celebration of Christmas then lingers all the way through to Epiphany, inviting me to live fully into each moment, pondering the different qualities of each. Thank you, Shirin, for encouraging these rich practices!
Lovely, Jan! I pray that this is indeed proving to be a holy season for you!