I have heard of families who do not place the baby Jesus in their nativity until Christmas day. I like that tradition. (Unfortunately we cannot do this because in our nativity set Mary and the baby Jesus are one piece.) So many things are anticipated before Christmas: vacation time, holiday meals, Santa Claus, presents (giving and receiving), the Christmas tree, lights, time with family and friends, parties, Christmas cards in the mail, Christmas stockings, snow, caroling, candlelight Christmas Eve services, Christmas musicals or plays, “The Nutcracker”, books (The Night Before Christmas, A Christmas Carol, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas), special Christmas television and movies (Charlie Brown, Rudolf, Frosty, “Miracle on 34th Street,” “A Christmas Story,” and Santa riding a Norelco razor), new clothes, and shopping. Growing up, I did not anticipate Jesus so much because he had already come, whereas all these other things come every year. However, this year, as I put my mind in the mindset of those who waited for the Savior, I found as I anticipated the right thing, I was less anxious about all those other things. My vision is clear.
As fun and meaningful as they are, many of those anticipations are distractions that blind us to the coming of the Savior. I doubt it will last another year, but my daughter is young enough that we do not have to wrap all the presents under the tree. At a garage sale, we bought a Winnie the Pooh toy chest for her. Sophia was with us when we bought it, brought it home, and cleaned it up. I tied a bow around it, and placed it next to the Christmas tree; she has completely ignored it. In fact, she finds all the presents under the tree to be a stumbling block. She moves them out of the way, without a second thought or a shake to guess what is inside, in order to get to our cat, who likes to hide out at the base of the tree. Her vision is focused.
The Savior has come as the light in the darkness, giving sight to the blind, and release from prison. What we have been awaiting, we can now see. We stand with Joseph, Mary, the shepherds, angels, magi, Zechariah, Elizabeth, Simeon, and Anna, in God’s light, our eyes opened.
[Jesus read,] “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Luke 4:18-19
©2011 Paul Tillman
