Big Things


 

This is one BIG Santa. This is a Texas-sized Santa. It is a NFL sized Santa. This Santa is a commanding presence, to say the least. He stands tall and proud, dominating his block in our little neighborhood. But he is a friendly giant, greeting all who pass with a wave of his hand.
This huge Santa represents well this season of big things. Family is big this time of year. The dreams of children are big. Yard decorations are big - obviously. Meals are big. Lines for the cashiers in the stores are big. Traffic jams are big. Memories and hearts feel big at Christmas, as does sometimes our loneliness and disappointment.
And at the heart of it all is a little baby. What an interesting point to ponder. The Creator of all there is, the God of all people, the source of all life, small enough to be held in the arms of a nervous young mother. We sing about this big thing become small:
Away in a manger
No crib for His bed
The little Lord Jesus
Lay down His sweet head
The stars in the sky
Look down where He lay
The little Lord Jesus
Asleep on the hay.
I believe that on this big holiday full of all sorts of big things, I want to focus on the small baby who started it all. I want to be amazed again in a big way. I want to feel that my own little life might be big in some way to someone somewhere, maybe even to the big God who became small for us all.
Peace.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

God is at Work

Image
In the early morning I was struck with this image. It seems to have it all. Green leaves. Red leaves. Clouds. Blue sky. The cross high and lifted up to the sky. It seemed to me that there was the stuff of several good photos in this one place and at one time. So I took the picture. Life is like that more often than not, isn't it? Good and bad. Happy and sad. Calm and chaos. Peace and turmoil. The season of Advent and the celebration of Christmas acknowledges this reality. The people of old resigned to their fate, yet hoping in the future. John the Baptist bringing the good news that the time had come, yet thundering away at one and all. Mary afraid, yet faithful. A baby is born that changes everything, yet the world remains still weary and violent. But, in the midst of all this, in the midst of the whiplash of everyday life, God is at work. God is present. God is calling. In all of it. In every bit of it. Through it all, God is with us. During these holidays, when joy can be mixed ...
Read more

Home

Image
  I came across this interesting tree the other morning. I was immediately transported back to my childhood and one of my favorite boyhood books, “My Side of the Mountain”. It was about a boy who went off by himself to live in the woods and to find everything he needed provided by nature. I don’t recall how many times I read that book in my elementary school years, but it was plenty. As I recall, he made his home in a tree that had a natural door, much like this one. I dreamed of following in his footsteps and doing the same in the woods behind my house. I never did. Home comes in all kinds of versions. Opulent mansions. Simple cabins. Modest middle-sized houses. Some people have the amazing ability to create home even when they are without a physical home. There are heroes who keep family together through tough transitions and the hardest of times. They commit to staying connected. They love one another. They are accountable to each other as they lift up the heart of what it means...
Read more

Loving Embrace by Barry Hughes

Image
One of the joys of walking each day is passing my neighbors. I may not know their names, but I feel I know many of them from our shared walks. I have names for them in my head, based on the dogs they walk or at what place on my route I usually pass them each day. I am amazed at how many people seem to be creatures of habit, like myself, walking the same course at the same time every day. I must admit that I do wonder, from time to time, what name they have given me as they pass me every day. On occasion, I see people who are new to me. On this morning I came upon the scene of a woman leaving a house for her walk. Suddenly, two small boys rushed out, barefoot and dressed in pajamas, urging her to wait. She stopped and turned, and with beatific smile embraced both boys and shared a few joyful moments with each. It was a touching and heartwarming sight. I imagined that the woman is grandmother to the boys. She is here visiting and these boys awoke as she walked out the door. They did not ...
Read more