By Esther C. Baird
First posted in the Tri-Town Transcript Dec 26, 2017
This is not the perfect Christmas. I make mistakes. I’m not terribly relaxed. Also my cards are so, so, very late. But each Christmas I am reminded that the first Christmas set the stage for a time when stress and chaos and frustration would finally and truly give way to peace and joy and hope.
Well it’s the holidays. By the time you read this, the mad dash across the finish line will be mostly over. The final school recitals, the final office party, the final search for a solid red top for your ten- year-old daughter that doesn’t look like it belongs in a Victoria’s Secret catalog, the final addressing and mailing of your holiday cards.
Ok, let’s not talk about the cards.
In the middle of the holiday crush, I organized the annual women’s christmas event at our church. It’s part of my job and I do it every year, which means I have the process all figured out.
Sort of.
I’m really good, for example, at hiding in my office with a bag of chocolate, salted caramels while staring at a pile of birch branches that need to be transformed into a life-sized nativity.
Thankfully, I had an amazing team. They prepared a smorgasbord of food that was stunning to look at and amazing to eat. They built the life sized nativity that was sturdy enough to put a cow in, let alone a baby, (though we went with more subtle evergreen branches). And they put together a musical program that could go on Broadway if Broadway was a Christmas carol singalong. All I had to do was emcee and, obviously, make sure the cream puffs were edible.
When I emcee, I introduce speakers, give logistical reminders and open and close the events with prayer. For this year’s event I jotted down a few reminders, such as the needs of the non-profit organization we were sponsoring that night, and highlights of the musical program to come. My notes said to ‘open in prayer’ so I did.
I pray in public all the time. It’s a privilege and something I take seriously. At the same time those of us who speak, or pray, in public know that our brain is often onto the next thing while our mouth is in the moment.
So as I was praying, and asking God to help us focus on the words of the Christmas carols and readings, my brain was scanning my list of things to announce. After I prayed, I was going to introduce the representative from Amirah, an organization that helps women escape from human trafficking. I wanted to introduce her properly so that our women would be encouraged to continue supporting such important work.
So I said, “Our partner in ministry is here tonight and I’m excited to introduce her.”
I looked out to gauge the mood. Were the women paying attention? There were 100 of them, surely some were distracted, but no one was on their phone, no one was whispering to their neighbor, in fact they were super focused. Most women even had their heads bowed and . . .
Wait. No. NO!!! I gasped.
Then I blurted out, “I forgot to say amen didn’t I? You think I’m still praying. I am NOT still praying!”
The room burst into laughter. Sustained, but gracious laughter. I had been so focused on the next thing that I had totally and wholly forgotten the actual thing. I laughed too, but there was no recovery, there was just getting through it. Thankfully the program continued based on the skills and talents of the team and musicians, and I exited to the back where I hid in the kitchen drowning my horror in more cream puffs.
There are a lot of lessons one could draw from this. Christmas is about staying present in the moment. Christmas is about focusing on a few important things instead of the distractions. Christmas is about giving yourself time to pause and reflect.
But the reality for many of us is: Christmas is exhausting. It’s full of lists and charged emotions and extra stress and less sleep.
On behalf of most women I know, I’d like to politely say, IF I COULD SLOW DOWN I WOULD.
You know what amen, my forgotten word, means in the original biblical Greek? It means ‘so let it be’ or ‘truly’.
This is not the perfect Christmas. I make mistakes. I’m not terribly relaxed. Also my cards are so, so, very late. But each Christmas I am reminded that the first Christmas set the stage for a time when stress and chaos and frustration would finally and truly give way to peace and joy and hope.
And to that I say, so let it be. Amen.