MONDAY, DECEMBER 25

LUKE 2:8-14

Glory. Good news. Great joy.

They build expectation, don’t they?

Certainly, we expect things at Christmas. That’s why it’s so easy to feel disappointed. We look forward to it, celebrate it with packages and parties, and then it’s over. It’s over before we’ve found the life-changing experience we hoped for, and we go on much as we did before. It’s easy to feel let down.

I’m thinking, however, that disappointment isn’t a bad thing. The Christmas announcement, after all, had to do with a sign. “This will be a sign to you,” said an angel of the Lord to some shepherds. “You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” The shepherds were doing a messy job in the dark. They didn’t get instant new lives with dream jobs and full daylight. They didn’t get a full-grown Messiah bringing God’s new creation right then and there. They got a baby. They got a small glimpse that a whole lot more was possible. Weren’t they bound to be disappointed? God was doing a whole lot more than they could see on that one night. But, that was the point: God was doing a whole lot more. “Do not be afraid,” said the angel. Don’t be afraid—God’s at work. Good possibilities are ahead.

God’s life in a little baby—Jesus was and is the Christmas sign of possibility. This year—today—if we get disappointed because nothing big happens, because our desires aren’t fulfilled, maybe that tells us we’ve been hoping well. Maybe disappointment is holy restlessness. If the God of Christ is the God who keeps insisting on bringing good out of bad and creating new possibilities for human life, then maybe disappointment is a call to keep hoping for more.

Dear friends, may you find today a Christmas sign—something that points you to the possibility of more. May the taste of holiday cooking give you a taste of finding even deeper gladness in everyday gifts. May someone’s smile fire your imagination for all the healing that might yet be possible in your relationships. May Christ’s joy, peace, and restlessness for more be with you this Christmas Day.

Callie S.