I must confess. I have joined the legion of Wi-Fi slugs. I sit in Panara or Starbucks, sometimes for hours, one hand grasping a mug of coffee, the other two-finger tapping at my keyboard. I have learned to tune out Frank Sinatra and Perry Como (Yes! Perry Como!), singing Christmas carols from the 50’s. If it gets too bad, I can always put my earphones in and let my iphone shield me from the outside world. Such is the wonder of modern technology.
I am not alone. Almost everyone sitting in Panara in mid-afternoon is “connected” in some way. There is a regular group of retired investors who I always seem to wind up sitting near. In the past few months they have grown increasingly grim faced as they peck away at their keyboards, making online trades, giving each other tips and advice, talking of sums of money made and lost that seem stunning to me, even for one who works in one of the wealthiest counties in America. I want to feel sorry for them, but I find it hard to relate.
Yesterday I had a different experience. I sat near a late middle-aged man, about my age. He was wearing an ear bud, and he was systematically working his way through a computer contact file. He was oblivious to the rest of us as he told and retold his story to technical directors and personnel managers. He had gone through his severance, and he was nearing the end of his savings. His only option was to begin drawing on his 401K. He didn’t say this to all of his contacts, of course. But to those he had known for a long, time, those with whom he had a deeper relationship, he was clearly calling out for help. I felt badly. I knew of nowhere to refer him. It has been too many years since I was in the world of high-tech commerce.
Most of us know someone like this man. We add them to our prayer lists. We offer them what help we can. As a church we help with the basic necessities of life – food, lodging, and clothing. We do what we can for them. In this season, we can do something else for ourselves. We can, and we must, remind ourselves that we are loved deeply by the one who most matters. The birth of the baby Jesus in a lowly manger does remind us that God can come to us in the most humble circumstances, and through that act redeems all of life’s situations. It is a cliché, to be sure. But it is a cliché that has stirred the hearts of millions and given hope to generations for two millennia.
Lighting Advent candles symbolizes Christ chasing the darkness away. With each additional candle, the sanctuary brightens and the winter recedes. There are “seasons of distress and grief” as an old favorite hymn reminds us, but we are reminded that it is in prayer that we find relief. In prayer, because prayer connects us to the one who can truly make a difference. It is time this Christmas season to put aside our worries, if just for awhile, and to “come together for Christmas,” to come together as a family of faith, and rejoicing together, reclaim the hope and promise that is Christmas, as Christ chases the darkness away..
