Dirty, awkward and beautiful.
I love a good cliff hangar. Suspense is invigorating and when done right never fails. Lately I have been reading a lot of Brad Meltzer and the guy knows how to leave you hanging, wanting more, from
chapter to chapter. Believe it or not the bible has much of the same. Much like the end of “The Empire Strikes Back” the old testament ends with a lot of tension and suspense hinging on waiting for promises to come to fruition. At the end of the old testament we know something big is coming but when the last prophetic words are spoken about the coming John the Baptist we don’t get a three break to build hype for “Return of the Jedi” but rather silence. Five hundred years worth to be exact. That’s a lot of silence and if you have ever waited for extreme news, be it good or bad, you know how suspenseful that can be. Here’s the thing though, that suspense wasn’t broken with a bang, an explosion or some earth shaking event but rather the birth of a baby. To be honest, I wish it was broken with a lights saber bearing Jedi or the Dark Knight rising from the ashes sometimes but that’s for show, not for impact. As we celebrate Christmas we have to remember that it’s a beginning. It’s a start. Salvation was won on Easter morning. True victory will come when lion of Judah comes back to claim what’s his. What we celebrate is a start. I often wonder if baby Jesus knew he would be my savior the first time he opened his eyes or if he new his first breath would change the world forever. It’s crazy to see a baby being born. It’s gross, awkward and yet beautiful and that’s what this season brings. We shouldn’t need an excuse to start over but we do. Be it personal or relational we sometimes need a dirty, awkward and yet beautiful refresh. Life is short and fragile and also full of infinite possibility, make sure you are getting that today.
Josh
