Celebrating Christmas with friends

This Christmas I’ve remembered what I am really celebrating 🙂

I returned from India in November thinking “Ok, now it’s time to start planning Christmas.” I dug out my BIG planning notebook with section dividers (as opposed to a piece of recycled printer paper reserved for less serious planning) because Christmas requires detailed plans, of course 😉 But then something stopped me……..God doesn’t intend my life to be ruled by a “to do ” list…so i asked him “What shall we do this Christmas then?” 

 He had such better ideas. First of all, we spent the end of November reading part of Brennan Manning’s book “The Relentless Tenderness of Jesus” – the chapters titled “Jesus at Christmas”. A realisation came as I read which shaped all my subsequent Christmas planning. I could just tell you what it was but something happened on Christmas Eve that summed it all up…………

My little 14 month old grandson was sitting on his daddy’s lap opening some his Christmas presents. He tore a piece of wrapping paper from the present and showed it to us triumphantly with a joyous smile on his face, gripping it tightly in his little fist . He was so happy to discover and hold onto this colourful piece of Christmas paper and wanted to show it to all of us. 

Jesus said ” The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.” Matthew 13, 45-46.

When you find something that gives you great joy in this difficult, wonderful world you hang on to it like a shipwrecked man clings to a floating piece of driftwood. You celebrate for evermore about the thing that saved you from a very problematic life  and propelled you into everlasting  joy. If this isn’t the case then we might aswell break out the booze right now and forget all about Christmas!! (paraphrased mostly from Brennan Manning).

So, this Christmas, I decided everything I did would be because I am celebrating my wonderful friend Jesus, who I cling onto for dear life because he came and saved me. Every present given, every meal with friends and family, every heartache and unco-operative piece of Sellotape, every karaoke Christmas song or walk in the woods would be enjoyed with a heart that was celebrating  🙂

It’s been a great Christmas so far – all of it. It’s amazing how approaching life with a celebrating heart transforms every thing that happens whether good, bad or mundane. For instance, today, R and I went to lunch in Birmingham with special friends – it was a lovely time sharing food, presents and stories. Later, we spent some time spent admiring lovely kitchen items in a rather plush store then went our separate ways. Events then took an unexpected turn as we queued to pay our car parking fee. The man in front had lost his ticket. The queue fidgeted. I smiled sympatheticallyat him. He made a public apology then pressed the help button on the machine, talking to a disembodied voice instructing him to pay the full day’s fee of 16 pounds and then the machine “would print him a free ticket” for exiting the barrier. The machine is so sophisticated (code for SO NOT intuitive to use !) that several of us help him locate the correct credit card slot.  The growing queue look more optimistic as said man completes his transaction successfully. Now our turn. Sensing the queue’s expectation for this to be a speedy transaction, I quickly and efficiently slide our ticket into the ……………. wrong slot. Needless to say, we employed the help of the disembodied voice man and the machine spits out our ticket. Avoiding eye contact with the crowd, I process the payment and then go into automatic pilot, pressing  the button to request a receipt which fails to appear. At which point husband propels me rapidly away leaving said crowd to work it out for themselves……………..

The car park decides to get it’s own back and insists we leave by a little used exit onto a road underneath the arches (yes the arches) completely unknown to us. Driving through Digbeth we miss a turn and get completely lost. The local council has translated all the directional signs into Welsh (or might as well have done) as phrases such as” ring road, city east and markets” give us no hope of reaching home!

But, in the midst of all this minor life chaos I remember I’m celebrating someone who is worth it and so we park the car, fire up the satnav and (while we await it’s rather inconsiderate, unhurried efforts to find a signal), we open our friends present. Magnificent big red teapot to match the new kitchen. All is well with the world 🙂

So, for you lovely persistent people who have read this blog to the very end -I can confirm there is a trustworthy friend, Jesus. Let’s experience true celebration in our hearts as we go through the ups and down, joys and heartaches of the rest of the Christmas period. (or to quote a well known film “Party on dudes!”) x