Restore the wonder...

As I ponder these next few days leading up to Christmas, I realize we are in need of a fresh revelation of wonder this holiday season. Holiday joy seems to have been muted by the weight of Covid shutdowns, traditions forfeited, political and social upheaval, and fear abounding. 

There’s an old saying that “familiarity breeds contempt.” While we may not feel contempt as we read the Christmas story of a baby born in Bethlehem, the familiarity of it can steal the wonder of that night. A young, unwed mother about to give birth. A fiancé desperately trying to find a hotel, even a Motel 6 would do. But no, a smelly, dirty stable full of animals would have to do. Then there were the shepherds. Unremarkable, normal guys, sitting around a fire telling stories while their sheep graze nearby. The players in this story would not have made it into the “Who’s Who of Bethlehem.” 

Suddenly, everything changes. The ordinary becomes extraordinary. A baby cries. An angel appears. A heavenly choir splits the night. “Glory to God in the highest. And on earth peace, goodwill toward men.” Nothing will ever be the same.

A Savior came. The Son of God stepped out of His place in heavenly glory into a world dark with brokenness and sin. Wrapped in human flesh, Emmanuel, God with us, offered His life to ransom ours. The wonder…the hope…the joy…how we need those this Christmas. May we see with new eyes the miracle in the manger. 

“On earth, peace” – His peace for weary hearts today.

“Goodwill toward men” – His favor in the form of a newborn. 

May His peace and goodwill move us to extend the same toward those who cross our paths, whether they believe as we do, or not. Maybe especially those who do not. 

My prayer this Christmas is that God would restore the wonder, in my heart and yours.

Merry Christmas