A Reflection at Christmas
by Rev. Dr. John Hinkle, Jr. , RDM Past President
Covid… No Covid… It does not really matter. Advent is always a busy time in the life of the church. The good news is that I am a planner, so I do not have to worry about sermons, text, title, or liturgy this time of year because I usually take care of such details in the summer. It is the other stuff, the busy stuff, that worries me, afraid that I will forget something thus allowing it to fall through the cracks and ruin Christmas for everyone in the church. So sometime around the first of November, I grab a sheet of paper and start sketching out a To-Do-List of everything I need to get done before Christmas Eve arrives. The list is long from the start, and I often add to it as something comes to mind. The goal of course is to check off everything on that list in an orderly fashion. From there, I stare at my calendar, counting down the days until that first Sunday of Advent.
Being in ministry for over 28 years, I have learned to plan accordingly. Knowing that my time is short and the tasks are great, I make it a point to always pencil in time with my family, but with the hustle and bustle of everything going on around me, often I find little time for myself. I am not complaining. I am just observing. The real truth is the busyness does not stop. It just keeps building and building until Christmas Eve morning. At First Presbyterian Church, we have three services: a travelers’ service at Noon, a family service at 4 pm, and a traditional candlelight communion service at 6 pm. Once the introit begins to play for each service, I surrender to the knowledge that all the planning is over. Now it is just time to worship.
Even as the final Christmas Eve service feels like it just started, it comes to an end as I give the final benediction. Slowly the congregation leaves for their homes, I unrobe and make sure that everything has been turned off throughout the church, and I head to my own home with Christmas music playing in the car. Arriving home, my family has been back for some time. My wife and her mother are busily working in the kitchen, getting the last-minute details of the Christmas dinner finalized. I get out of their way and make my way into the living room where my father is taking a small nap before dinner. There is a fire in the fireplace, the tree is lit with lights from the bottom to the top and my Springer Spaniels are curled together on their dog bed. I sit on the couch, and I stare at the tree light, and I breathe. I breathe deeply and slowly. And in such breathing, I find it… rest. Rest in the Lord.
