12/24/14, Devotion #25 Found So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. --Luke 2:16-19 Found. Are you good at finding things? Its Christmas Eve, and some of us are still searching. Some of us are searching for last-minute presents, cookie recipes, former classmates, the house of a Christmas party, wandering children, and Christmas Eve service times. But others of us are still searching for that place where we can truly get into the Christmas spirit; some of us are still searching for God in the middle of it all. But my guess is that all those things and persons-- including God-- want to be found as much as you want to find them. Medieval theologians described God in hide-and-seek terms, calling him Deus Absconditus, or Hidden God. But I beg to differ. Im not sure if God is playing hide-and-seek as much as he is playing a game I used to play with my youth group, called Sardines. In Sardines, one person hides and the rest search for him. When they find him, they hide WITH him-- until everybody is crammed in a small space and the giggles that result give them away. Robert Fulgrum, author of All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten, says I think God is a Sardine player. And he will be found the same way everybody gets found in Sardines - by the sound of laughter of those heaped together at the end. The Christmas story points us to a God who moved into the neighborhood in order to be found. This Christmas Eve, whether you have to work or have to wrap gifts, whether you live by yourself or in a houseful of people, whether you have much or little, whether youre Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, Nazarene, nondenominational, or still just trying to figure out this Jesus thing, unwrap the simple moments, the seemingly insignificant people, and the unexpected events in order to FIND God today. Listen for the laughter of people gathered together, be fully present with those around you, and see Gods reflection in their faces. Yes, some questions may remain unanswered, but Jesus, the Son of God, desires to be found by you too. For God is hidden no longer, And hope is born this night.
Posted on: Wed, 24 Dec 2014 12:53:46 +0000
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