Tidings of Discomfort & Joy

Christmas is a joyful time. We sing and hear beautiful music, spend time with our families, exchange gifts, and ignore the calories while we sample delicious food. We smile while seeing children in Christmas programs and exchanging “Merry Christmas” with others.

Christmas is also a time when we see larger crowds at church, so many churches have multiple services to accommodate all who seek peace and comfort. Unfortunately, those crowds quickly diminish, and we are soon back into our familiar routines. The celebration is over and we focus on what the new year will bring.

The story of Jesus’ birth is cause for great celebration. However, it also forecasts what Christ will ask of his followers. Joseph and Mary did not travel to their destination in a comfortable car. They did not stay in a comfortable inn. They slept where farm animals were fed. Jesus was placed in a trough or box, likely wooden or stone. It was not a place of physical comfort.

When Jesus began his ministry, he did not promise physical comfort or an easy life. When he walked along the Sea of Galilee, he saw two fishermen, Simon and Andrew, throwing a net into the sea. He told them if they followed him he would require them to cast their net aside and help him bring his message to others. In Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus tells his disciples they must “take up their cross” and follow him to enjoy the new life he offers.

What Jesus expects of his followers is not an easy life. Comfort can be one of the nets that we must toss aside to put Jesus’ teaching into action.

We tend to like things the way they are. Many of us have all the possessions we desire, and those that we do not have can be easily obtained on Amazon! We are liked by our friends and neighbors and enjoy their company. But being a Christian is not about us. As long as there is poverty, hate, war, hunger, disease, loneliness, and selfishness, we cannot be comfortable. When we see suffering, that is when uncomfortable Christians can become followers and not just believers.

Enjoy and celebrate Christmas; but embrace the discomfort that comes with knowing we have so much to do.

Bill Cannon, Congregation Member