Shortest day of the year

Yesterday the meetings ran from 6 am till 10 pm, so today is much easier. This afternoon and evening is about the youth party we are running here at the church, so before that I have time to work on Saturday evenings service, and get to town to pick up some supplies for tonight.

I think though, that after this day things should settle down a bit. Quiet should reign in the field and I will have time to draw from the silence, rather than drain the silence away with busyness.

This Christmas will be simpler for us in many ways. There will be less people in the house, less meals to prepare and gifts to sort. Less snow (for Micah) to shovel, less time to celebrate together, less granddaughters crawling around your feet. You know, all those less thans that could make for a lean Christmas but we will try not to let rule the day.

Thomas is coming home for a couple of days and we will have turkey and hopefully the internet will be proper and we will skype with the girls in Oxford and Wisconsin.  That will be good.

And then the weekend will be over. Just like that.

But it is what you make it, right?

There will be little treats along the way. The boys will be home so we'll play a few COD or Halo games. Turkey will be served and I love turkey. Christmas Eve in the morning here we'll turn on the old BBC Radio 4 and listen to the service of Nine Lessons and Carols. We'll work on Christmas Eve but we are cancelling the service for Sunday morning so that will be appreciated. Maybe I'll get some play time in with the radio, or crank open one of the new books I've just purchased, a Nouwen or a Muller. 

Lots of things to look forward to.

Mostly I think I'm looking forward to a bit of rest, and that will be good. A change of the rhythms of a busy life that can be detrimental to a good life.

So on this shortest day of the year when, before we had lights we had to quit work at dark and go to bed, I wish for you some playtime, some rest, some fun. But mostly I wish for you peace of heart whatever your week is going to hold, and the realization that peace is an internal gift of the Spirit. When the Spirit of God is welcomed into the human heart, he brings peace.


Happy shortest day of the year,
from the field.