12 Days of Christmas by Pastor Nate
December 26, 2023

This devotional series has 12 entries intended to carry through the Liturgical season of Christmas. I searched my memory and surveyed a bunch of parents to come up with twelve actual thoughts we had during our first days as parents. Perhaps these are also thoughts Mary or Joseph had during those first few days in Jesus’ infancy.

What’s Going on? Are we doing this right?

When my first child was born it was all very, very, confusing. And overwhelming. In an instant everything changed. Overnight, it went from being just me and my spouse and now suddenly there was an entirely new person added to the equation. A new, little person who could not survive on her own. That first night with the new baby was a flood of questions and disorientation. Am I doing this right? Is this normal? What’s going on!?

I think that’s actually an appropriate space for Christmas. What a strange, overwhelming holiday. There are so many expectations, so much nostalgia, so much pressure that we put on this holiday. And the Christmas story also seems to carry this sense of bewilderment. What must the shepherds been thinking when the skies above Bethlehem opened up with choirs of angels? What were Mary and Joseph thinking when the shepherds explained why they had come to visit the newborn baby Jesus?

I know that confusion isn’t an emotion we like to spend too much time with, but if we are willing, confusion can give way to wonder. The terror of the shepherds quickly gave way to amazement as the sky burst open with choirs of angels. The “What’s going on!?” of new parents can quickly give way to “this is all truly amazing.”

INVITATION: Today, embrace the wonder of this day. Remember and recall the awe of Christmas mornings of your youth. Look for small moments of wonder throughout the day. Or, go on a walk in a new place (don’t get lost!) but connect with that feeling of novelty and reflect on what it means when the Bible says that God will make all things new.