By now the Christmas paper, boxes and cookies have been disposed of in one way or another.
And for many, the joy of Christmas has been boxed away with ornaments, as though Christmas ends with the celebration of exchanging presents rather than with the receiving of the Christ-child. Has the anticipation of the day eclipsed the experience of the gift?
Let me tell you a story …
There is a wonderful woman who is a dear friend of mine and a member of First United Presbyterian Church in Fayetteville. She makes jewelry to sell at our alternative market to benefit those in need, and she teaches others who are interested in beading - especially children. She formerly worked in infection control at Washington Regional Medical Center, but in the past few years, she has seen far too much of the institution where she once spent only her work days.
The weeks before Christmas found her in and out of the hospital every few days. In the midst of her medical ups and downs, she claims that she was in the presence of the Holy. Her husband aff rms that they thought that they had lost her. The radiance in her face and the peace that she feels about the prospect of death also confirm, that in some way, she was close to God.
With a weak, hesitant voice, but a brilliance in her sparkling blue eyes and a smile across her face, she shared three separate messages with me on each of three visits I took to her hospital room. These three messages were her Christmas gift to me, and I feel led by God to share them with you these few days after Christmas.
Her first message to me was forgiveness. “It’s all about forgiveness,” she said, as her husband and son nodded their heads. This was the message that she had shared with them when she began speaking after a day of almost no response.
“It’s grace,” she went on, as I leaned in so I could better hear her and she could hear me. Slowly, one word at a time, she related how God has forgiven her, and howshe must forgive others.
With an extra burst of joy shining from those eyes she explained, “It’s that simple!”
The next day, the word she had to share was love.
“God loves everyone!” And - so slowly that I worried that the exertion would wear her out - she voiced how God loves each and every person in every nation around the world. God loves those who we consider our enemies. “We must love everyone,” she encouraged.
“Love.” And she clasped my hands.
God seemed so close to her, that each day I visited I feared that it might be my last. But, obviously, God had more to share with her.
On my third visit, she was impatient for me to sit and hear what she was learning from God. And indeed, this message was lengthier than the previous two.
“God abides with me,” she bubbled. This message was almost too good to be true.
“When I die,” she detailed, “I abide with God. But when I am here,” and she looked around her hospital room, “God abides in me.”
Her son stroked his mother’s hand as she went on, “when someone does something to help me, they are serving Jesus.” Her son looked at me and aff rmed her words, “Yes, Mom, when we minister unto you, we are serving Jesus.” And we knew it to be true. “God abides in each of us!” she exclaimed, and now her words spoken slowly and distinctly, with each word standing alone, seemed to have their own exclamation point. The message was so clear, and John’s message of God’s love abiding with us through Jesus Christ seemed to be embodied in the woman lying in the hospital bed: “By this, we know that we abide in him, and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.” - 1 John 4:13
When I left her room toleave town for the holidays, I found myself with tears on my cheeks, but also with a smile across my face and my voice humming the children’s hymn, “O Little Town of Bethlehem.” When I got to the words that had pulledthe hymn from my memory, I sang them out loud: “O come to us, abide with us, Our Lord Emmanuel!”
So here are the three messages that were shared with me, and that I share with you: Forgiveness. Love. And that God abides with you. Christmas is never over,because Jesus the Christ has come.
All that I can add is: Alleluia! Amen! and Thanks be to God!
THE REV. LESLIE BELDEN IS A MINISTER OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH (U.S.A.). CONTACT HER AT [email protected].
Religion, Pages 8 on 12/28/2013