“More
Mince Pies!”
A
television show I was using this year as part of my Sunday School class earlier
this year is the British sitcom “Rev.,” which depicts a Church of England
priest’s misadventures in ministry in the heart of inner-city London. The show’s holiday special culminates in,
naturally, the Christmas Eve service, where, utterly stressed out by all the
demands of the holiday season, the priest has a bit of a mental breakdown,
singing about his crazy schedule to the tune of the carol “The Twelve Days of
Christmas.” The comic meltdown is
complete when he then transitions into an ode about how many mince pies he has
to obtain for the holiday parties, with the repeated refrain of “Mince pies,
mince pies, more mince pies!”
It’s
illustrative of the other side of the holidays, isn’t it? On the surface level, the holidays are full
of joy and fellowship and celebration, but scratch below that surface, and they
can sometimes be sources of great stress.
Can I afford all of the presents I want to give this year? Will I have enough time and energy to throw
another holiday party? What if there
aren’t enough mince pies?!
In
moments like those, I have found it helpful to reflect on the actual
circumstances of Jesus’ birth. As Luke
tells it, nothing about Jesus’ birth happened in a stress-free or orderly
way. Mary and Joseph were
traveling—suggesting that they probably didn’t anticipate that Jesus would be
born right then—and when they did try to find a place for Mary to safely give
birth, they found no shelter, only a barn.
And
yet, out of that string of miscues, a savior is born!
What
a wonderful example for us in the midst of our own Christmas obligations.
A
very merry and safe Christmas to you and yours this holiday season!
Yours
in Christ,
Pastor
Eric
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