Countdown to Christmas

Countdown to Christmas . . .
The children are upstairs in the Sanctuary practicing their Christmas Pageant one more time for tomorrow's 10:30 a.m. service, churches throughout the region have their advertisements running in all the local papers and news outlets inviting the faithful and the 'once-or-twice a year visitors' to attend their services on Christmas Eve, pastors are polishing that 'masterpiece of a message' which they intend to unveil for those who attend Christmas Eve services, the Candlelight candles and glow sticks are all prepared and ready for distribution, Communion elements have been secured in ample supply for all the folks who will make their way to Bethlehem and continue on to the Jerusalem Table, choirs, bell choirs and special soloists or ensembles are practiced within an inch of their lives to 'Wow!' and impress the gathered congregations, and the ushers and greeters have practiced their congregational welcomes and directions so that everyone who attends knows they are 'special' and Communion doesn't get drug out by folks who don't know where they are going causing the service to go long . . . all to . . . finish that one last thing on the Christmas list: Worship.
It's the final Countdown to Christmas and, personally, I think the shepherds are the lucky ones when it comes to worship: the angels sang an invitation to them, no newspaper ads and no glitzy television ads to confuse them as to where to go, no candlelight services and no special sermons trying to outdo what other congregations are doing, no other 'special' musical selections trying to outdo the angels, no ushers or greeters showing them where to sit and telling them what Communion line to be in (Ah, yes, Communion comes much, much later in the Story, doesn't it!) and no pressure to have that one special gift ready to present when sliding an offering into the plate in the service (enough not to look like a cheapskate, but not so much as to appear gaudy before others). Just Jesus.
Just Jesus, announced by a star and angel choirs. Just Jesus, lovingly held and nurtured by Mary and Joseph. Just Jesus, surrounded by the animals of a stable. Just Jesus - and that alone, He alone, was enough to send them back out into the fields glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen. Just Jesus.
Being something of an 'A-type' pastor who is a self-confessed part of the 'every-little-detail group', I pray for you, Just Jesus, in these days nearing a Stable and a Manger. I pray for you, Just Jesus, in preparing for your family gatherings. I pray for you, Just Jesus, in seeking out that one place to worship with the gathered community. I pray, Just Jesus, for those congregations so immersed in Christmas Eve plans that Christmas Joy is like a foreign land. I pray, Just Jesus, for those pastors who carefully craft their Christmas message - for there truly is no other Message. I pray, Just Jesus, for you . . . that your heart is full of Wonder, that your soul is overflowing with Hope, that your days are guided by His Peace, and that your life is blessed in abundance with His Love. Just Jesus.
May He be enough for us all as we continue the Countdown to Christmas. Just Jesus.
Blessings on the journey.