First Friday in Advent

What Will I Sacrifice?

Dare I admit it? I dislike Christmas—mostly because, as an introvert, I find that the holiday season results in lots of conversations, most of the time with people. So, every year I cringe as my calendar fills with parties and commitments. The celebration happens during the cold time; otherwise I’d seriously consider going off the grid and vacationing for all of December. 

 I cannot skip my family’s gathering. My doing so would crush them. So what do I skip instead? Often church and any other gathering with the body of Christ. I fill up my time with family gatherings and act like only my little genetically connected posse matters. Honestly, by the time the Christmas service actually arrives, I have energy only to go through the motions. Longing to get the whole show over with—like the Israelites in Malachi’s time—I place my blind sheep on the altar and hope no one will notice.

 Immanuel—God with us—Jesus took on human flesh. Christmas celebrates the Incarnation. Without the incarnation, Christ could not have walked among us. Known humanity. And died. The spotless lamb endured slaughter on our behalf. First, taking on flesh, he bore the burden of fallen humanity recovering it from the estrangement of sin. 

 In Malachi’s day the people of Israel received a strong rebuke: “For when you offer blind animals as a sacrifice, is that not wrong? And when you offer the lame and sick, is that not wrong as well? Indeed, try offering them to your governor! Will he be pleased with you or show you favor?’ asks the Lord who rules over all” (1:8). They treated the God who rules over all in a way they wouldn’t even treat one of their lower officials. They acted as though God could not see them going through the motions with minimum effort and no affection. They kept their best for their own flocks or families, while setting before him the least of what they had.

 My actions sometimes reveal that I value my nuclear-family time more than the body and family of our incarnate, sacrificed, and risen Lord. But I am determined to come out from under the cover of family gatherings or work parties to show by my actions that I value the gatherings of Christ’s body. What about you?  —Katie Fisher

Prayer: 

Lord, you rule over all. You gave the perfect and spotless lamb. Thank you for holding nothing back in order to accomplish our redemption and our salvation. By your Spirit, work in me this holiday season to cherish what you cherish and to value the body of Christ. Help me to take each breath I breathe as a gift from you and offer my ambitions and calendar to you. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

He will come again in glory

to judge the living and the dead

And his kingdom will have no end.

Photo credit: William Krause on Unsplash