CLERGY CORNER: Blessed distractions

Posted on 15 December 2016 by LeslieM

It was a crowded day at the mall and a woman just had to go to the mall and pick up one more Christmas present. The problem was that she was due at any minute and her husband, doctor, parents and friends told her that she shouldn’t go to the mall. But she insisted. Her best friend tried to talk her out of it, but then found herself driving her very pregnant friend to the busiest place at the busiest time.

The mall was loud and chaotic. People were in a hurry, hustling and bustling with a nervous, yet exciting, energy. And when she found herself in the right shop, it happened.

There was no way to get out of the mall in time. Her best friend told the owner of the shop that a baby was going to be born and, as good fortune would have it, there was a nurse in the shop. The store owner wasn’t sure that she could afford to take two or three clerks off the floor to assist the woman in need, but she did, knowing that this was going to put a dent in her sales. And then, in the back room, a beautiful baby girl was born with a nurse, three clerks and a best friend surrounding the mother and child. The child was wrapped in tissue paper and lying in an open cardboard container.

Her husband got word, via text message, and he drove as fast as he could and bobbed and weaved his way through the crowded mall to see his newborn daughter. When the father saw his beautiful daughter, it was love at first sight, and everybody in the room experienced the joy, including the owner of the shop.

When all was said and done, the owner was grateful for the “blessed distraction” that allowed her to put life in perspective, witness the miracle of birth and feel the bond with her customers, who shared the miracle with her. She may have lost some time and money; but she experienced something far more valuable. Thank God for “blessed distractions!”

I love the song “O Little Town of Bethlehem” as much as any Christmas-loving Christian. It is certainly not my intention to ruin the song, but I must point out that the “Little Town of Bethlehem” was called “The City of David” in the Christmas narrative of Luke. Now, the word “city” is relative, and it may not have been a booming metropolis; but it was booming. A mandatory census was put in place and people travelled to their ancestral homes. In Mary and Joseph’s case, that was Bethlehem and together they traveled back home from the place of their residence, Nazareth. No doubt, they travelled in a caravan with other relatives and, when they arrived at Bethlehem, there was no room for them in the inn. With “No Vacancy” signs on every hotel in the City of David, it was anything but “silent.”

And then, in the midst of the hurry and scurry, hustle and bustle in a city with a nervous, and yet, exciting energy, a “blessed distraction” occurred. Jesus was born.

When word got to the shepherds, not by text but singing angels filling the sky, they bobbed and weaved their way through the crowded streets of Bethlehem, maybe even with their sheep at toe. Can you imagine?

This reimagining of Christmas may change your perception, and I apologize if I ruined it for you. But I find this image to be more meaningful, especially in the context of our Advent season where we find ourselves so distracted in our preparation for Christmas that we forget to prepare ourselves for Christ. You may even say that sometimes Christmas stands in the way of Christmas. We need “blessed distractions” to reorient ourselves to that which is most important in life. We need to stop, pause and reflect upon the miracle of birth, the blessing of family and friends, and the bond that strangers feel when they witness a miracle together, and are strangers no more.

But this isn’t just another “blessed distraction.” This event transformed life as we know it. God enters into our chaos of shopping malls and city streets with a gift to all humanity. And, though it may be inconvenient to some, it certainly reminds us that we are loved by God.

May the “blessed distraction” of Christmas transform your life this year.

Pastor Gross is a pastor of Zion Lutheran Church, located at 959 SE 6 Ave., Deerfield Beach, FL 33441. For more information, contact 954-421-3146 or visit www.zion-lutheran.org.

Comments are closed.

Advertise Here
Advertise Here