Did You Make It Through the Holidays?

It’s a busy time of year. Reformation gave way to All Saints. After a short breath, the end of the Church year came and went and Advent is in its final week and a half. Knowing at what speed all of these things would come, you knew long ago that midweek services needed to be planned in the midst of everything else, and even if your congregation has regular midweek services, a “special emphasis” during the seasons of Advent and Lent is expected by some. Some pastors face pressure to come up with something “catchy” so that maybe these poorly attended services might be a little less sparse.

To add to things, there remain at this time of year those who are sick and dying and need care. Death does not take a break during these weeks saying, “Oh, it’s Advent. The pastor is busy. I’ll wait until the New Year to visit this congregation again.” These daily tasks must be accomplished and done faithfully.

Now, I’m not going to exhaust every single thing that is to be prepared for and done whether in the congregation or in the home. I don’t have to make the point. You know that it’s a busy time of the year. Because it’s busy in its own way for everyone, you might have been asked the question I remember being asked by another pastor last year. He called on the third or fourth day of Christmas and asked, “Did you make it through the holidays?”

While I admit the question was asked innocently, it made me wonder how I had been approaching the seasons of Advent and Christmas. Further, I began listening a little more intently to how others talk of these days. Because most people begin with decorations, parades, and parties even many weeks before Advent, Christmas is often seen as a day to “get through” rather than to joyfully anticipate and celebrate upon arrival. Some dread these last days just hoping that they’ll be over soon so that everything can be cleaned up and put away. Pastors want the time to pass quickly so that they can rest. In what I’ve heard and observed, many run through the days crying out for “more time” and burning out only trying to clear this last obstacle in order to achieve the desired rest of December 26.

I hope that this is not the case for you and that you’ve found refreshment and comfort in these days of the preparation for our Lord Jesus’ return. The busyness of these seasons is here to stay, but Jesus says, “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Gathering as the body of Christ in these days is intended to grant this Sabbath in Jesus through Word and Sacrament.

In these days we must remember for what we are ultimately preparing, and when we arrive at the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord, I pray that you arrive not in an attempt to “get through” one more day but instead comforted in God’s faithfulness to His Word—even becoming flesh to dwell among us to bear our sin and to be our Savior.

A blessed remainder of Advent to you all!