christmas eve: an expectant pause

"So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child." - Luke 2:4-5

Mary had to endure a 90-mile journey on foot through the cold desert winter. There was joy and there was uncertainty. There was contentment and there was the expectation. There was the planned and the unexpected. There was completion and there was the journey ahead. Here on Christmas Eve, we find all the same things. As we finish our Christmas preparations, let's also pause to rest a few minutes in the expectant no. The celebration will come. The emotions will swirl. The memories will be created. Our lives will add another new day, a special day not exactly like any other, and in that sense, our lives will never be the same. Like Mary, let's ponder and treasure these moments in our hearts as we reflect on this threshold o birth and life, expectation and celebration, and God turned human in our hearts and lives. What is heavy on your heart in the anticipation of Christmas? What is joyful in your expectant spirit?

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