Wednesday (Boxing
Day) was a day of complete rest for me - I slept in, ate a leisurely breakfast,
read, napped, read, napped some more, went to bed early. My body was telling me I needed to rest and
so I did. Completely.
I woke early on
Thursday morning...around 4:30 am, feeling like I was ready for anything. I was out the door long before daybreak to
take a good long walk up the side road, to enjoy the stillness of a cold, clear,
crisp morning. At the head of the lane, I
had my night vision and I could see everything quite clearly, especially in the
light of a waning moon. The sky was full
of stars.
As I topped the first
rise in the road, my eyes were drawn to an especially vivid star shining in the
eastern sky ahead of me. It was brilliant
and so much bigger than the other stars, it shone like a beacon in the
night. Only the moon was brighter.
Seeing that star
(turns out it isn't a star, but the planet Venus), made me think again of the visitors
to the nativity scene - the shepherds from the field and the Wise Guys
Men. Just as we are tempted to think
that Christmas is over on December 26th, there's a tendency to stop the birth story
at the manger; but, some of the most fascinating parts come afterward. The signs in the sky seen by the Wise Men-the
Kings of the Orient-the Magi - what did they really see? How did they give meaning or make sense of
what they encountered? When they saw the
star in the east, were they looking at Venus like I was? That would be really cool.
It's that sort of timeless
personal connection that can make a story so special and give it life for
thousands of years. I only have to look
at a new born baby or see Venus on a cold winter morning to feel more deeply
the elements of Jesus' birth which continue to touch and cause me to wonder today.
May your days of
wondering never end.
Pat
A Week's Worth of Gratitude
Saturday ~ Laura,
Jonah and Georgia
Sunday ~ blessed are
those that count the offering
Monday ~ singing with
Stephen's daughters
Tuesday ~ heron
feathers
Wednesday ~ a day of
splendid, complete rest
Thursday ~ the
eastern star
Friday ~ leftovers
Friday Prayer
Loving God, stay close to us as we
continue to celebrate
the gift of Jesus.
Amen.
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