A Weary World Rejoices

Last Saturday Adam and I met up with a young family at a Christmas tree farm, as we have for the last few years, so that we could enjoy the festive occasion of choosing a Christmas tree. We had two trees to pop in our car and there was an amazing smell of pine as we drove to their place to deliver the one they had chosen.

We stopped for a cuppa and were entertained by the enthusiasm and delight shown by the littlies at the change taking place in their home with the addition of a tree and the oohing and aahing happening over the decorations being taken out of boxes long stored. As we had for the last few years.

After saying our goodbyes and heading back to our place we knew what would happen next. We would get our stand out of the garage and put the tree up in the place that we worked out the year before. We would wait until everyone was home and then, and only then, would we open the boxes of decorations and start to hang them on the tree and around the house. We would pop on some Christmas music, there would be some Christmas cake to eat for those who liked that kind of thing, and there would be lots of laughing and some sighing as we reminisced about Christmases past and some of the people we had shared them with. We would talk about where God has been evident in our lives since the last time we gathered around the tree. Just as we had done the last few years. 

How does a weary world rejoice? So far this advent we have acknowledged our weariness, or if not weary ourselves hopefully looked around and acknowledged the weariness of others. We have been encouraged to find joy in connection with God and those around us and this week, we are talking about leaning into traditions. Those things that we don’t have to spend time and energy reinventing, but which have deep meaning. What are some of the Christmas traditions you practice? Are they still meaningful? Is it time to add new ones?

Colleen