Happy New Year to you all! As I write this (Epiphany - January 6th), we are nearing the end of our family visitors for the holidays. It began on Christmas Eve, when Lisa's parents, sisters, brothers-in-law, nieces and nephews arrived on Christmas Eve. Fifteen in the house for Christmas Day - what a joy to have a full house to celebrate that day. A couple days after that clan headed home, my three brothers, two aunts, a niece, grand-nephew and sister-in-law arrived to celebrate my aunt's 85th birthday. She didn't know the whole clan would be present, and was quite surprised! Eleven in the house for the weekend - it was a blessing. And this past weekend, our son and his girlfriend were able to get away from their pharmacy work long enough to spend some time with us, as well as our daughter and son-in-law. Both couples brought their dogs - six people and three dogs together for the holidays (see the video below).
How wonderful it is to have company in for the holidays, and how wonderful it is when we find the house quiet again, and to ourselves. To everything there is a time and a season, yes? As a pastor, gatherings around religious holidays can be a bit overwhelming and taxing. Your attention is pulled in different directions, and you wish you could be more than one place at a time. But just like the full house at home, the church is filled with family and friends that we don't get to see very often. We want to make time for everyone, and the time seems to go too quickly.
How important it is to take time to enjoy the opportunity to be with others and enjoy the company who come to visit. I wonder what Mary and Joseph must have thought when the shepherds arrived at the stable to see Jesus. Talk about unexpected visitors! And yet, the holy family welcomes their guests graciously, and cherishes their words and congratulations. But that isn't the only company they welcome - foreign star-gazers appear with gifts "fit for a king" (one of the great songs from the Children's Christmas program last month). Can you imagine? One of my favorite scenes in the program was when the "Wise Guys" showed up at the stable - Joseph's one line in the show was, "Mary, look, we have visitors!" We are given encouragement in the scriptures to welcome the guest. In Hebrews 13, we read these words: "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it."
Give thanks to God for the visitors and interruptions in life - these are blessings that come about too infrequently. And give thanks to God for times of peace and solitude, for often, it is in these times we best come to know our God - "Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10).
Peace,
Pastor Charlie
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