"Stephen called out 'Lord Jesus,
receive my spirit.’" – Acts 7:59
The
Christmas holidays can be a mixed bag for me. On the one hand, I experience
jubilant joy and cheerful spirit with people. On the other, I also go through
difficult moments of loneliness, loss, and sadness. My perfectionistic
tendencies don’t take a vacation but plays peek-a-boo. I don't seem to be alone
in this predicament. The holidays allows many of us to be in touch with the
loss of recently deceased loved ones, the pain of family members seriously
sick, the weight of financial worries, the separation of close relationships
and the awkwardness of strained ones. While we celebrate God already-with-us,
we also become more aware that God seems not-yet-with-us. Violence is
escalating in South Sudan, persecution of Christians persists in Egypt, and the
conflict in Syria has only slightly improved since last Christmas. Peace with
ourselves and peace with others remain elusive.
The
readings this week point to this already-here but not-yet coming of God. In two
days, we celebrate the feast of innocent children massacred because Herod
wanted to kill the infant Jesus. Today, we remember Stephen, the first
Christian martyr. The promise in the crib and the sacrifice on the cross
closely intertwine. God in Jesus came as a baby born in a feeding trough and died
as a criminal on the cross. Throughout Christ’s life, God loves consistently
despite the costs. God is not ashamed of human lowliness or messiness, she
entered into it. Moreover, God often comes as an unexpected, uninvited, often
unrecognized guest. Christian hope lies not in something, not in some belief or
idea, but in Someone. In someone who often surprises us, entering our
brokenness, magnifying our joy, desiring to stay, whispering peace, “I am
here.”
We live in
this tension, in the already but not-yet. It may not be easy living in
suspense. Like Stephen, can seek to be receptive and open in the midst of
incompleteness. Peace is dawning, already in-breaking.
Unexpected One, receive my spirit,
whatever I may be experiencing. May I
receive your surprising visit today, in whatever shape or form.
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