The Oasis - December 14, 2022

     Each year, sometime around the beginning of the Advent season, one of my family members will contact me and ask, “What do you want for Christmas?” I don’t always know what I want, but I think it’s a great question. I think it’s not a bad use of our time to ask ourselves that question: What DO I want? 
     In our Bible study today, Rev. Pat Smith shared a poem from the book Kneeling in Bethlehem by Ann Weems. She and I both like to refer to that book in the lead up to Christmas. On the back cover, I found these words:
     What do I want for Christmas?
          I want to kneel in Bethlehem,
               the air thick with hallelujahs,
                    the angels singing
                         that God is born among us.

     In the light of the star,
          I want to see them come,
               the wise ones and the humble….

     It might be a good spiritual exercise, during Advent, to sit and think about what we want for Christmas. Then, have a conversation with God about it. We might not always get exactly what we want for Christmas, but we might be delightfully surprised by what we do get. 

Blessings,

Eric