How are you feeling today? Relieved to have made it to Christmas Eve and looking forward to Christmas, stressed because a certain package or two hasn’t been delivered yet, dreading that last-minute run to the store because you just realized you forgot to buy the broccoli for the broccoli salad? Hint: That last one might be me … but I’m guessing that several of you are pondering your own inevitable Christmas Eve run to the store.
Of all the days not to forget an ingredient, Christmas Eve feels like the worst possible one. The list was checked. It was even checked twice. And yet—no “whatever” it is we need.
So we grab our keys, pull on a coat, and join the fellowship of the forgetful, wandering the aisles with others snatching last-minute items off of emptying shelves and wearing that same frustrated expression. And yet, there’s a strange grace in moments like these. When we’re not at our best, somehow the world keeps turning.
It’s tempting to think Christmas depends on getting everything just right. But Christmas has survived far worse than a missing vegetable. The heart of this holy night still comes to us, just as it has come for over 2,000 years.
As we sing each year, “O come to us, abide with us, our Lord Emmanuel.” Not “come when we have it all together,” but come now, as we are. And our Lord does just that.
So if you find yourself making a Christmas Eve run, take a breath. Smile at the absurdity. Let it be a gentle reminder that the most important thing about Christmas has already been taken care of. Christ has come. God is with us. And that is more than enough.
Have a wonderful and restful Christmas Eve! (And hope to see many of you this evening at one of our Christmas Eve services).
