Open Spaces
Vol.: 20.12
By John Vander Velden
isn’t Christmas celebrated on December 25th? Yes, it is...but... For me Christmas begins on the 25th and runs nonstop until Epiphany on January 6th. I recognize the 12 days of Christmas. So even though we near December’s very last days, I can say to you Merry Christmas...and mean it.
Yet as we pass through these wonderful days when we
celebrate the birth of Jesus, we may feel that the dark cloud of COVID has
stolen some of the holiday’s luster. If you are like Jackie and I, things were
very different this season. To some degree many of us remain isolated. Even
though the news of vaccinations is promising, this pandemic has not released us
yet. We yearn for things to be “normal”, and find ourselves wondering if things
will ever be the same as they were again.
Yes, Christmas in 2020 was, or as in my house is,
different. But Christmas IS! And no disease can stop it. Because at the center...the
very center...is that God so loved the world (you and me and everyone), SO much he sent His Son. That Jesus
entered our world the same way we did, as a helpless babe. That this amazing
child was born into the family of humble ordinary people, should speak to us
all. That the Savior of humanity was first revealed to common shepherds, should
show God’s openness for our access as well. That when later the child is
acknowledged by kings, speaks of the grandness of God’s plan.
Christmas is about love! The love that stitches the
universe together. The greatest power that can exist. For as I said before, love
is at the center of God’s gift to us. For
God so loved the world...
In a world that sets one against the other. In a world
“where I am right and you are wrong” seems to be at the focus of so many
people’s thoughts. In a world where “tit for tat” has come to be the norm. In a
world filled with fear and hate, love gets lost, or in the least shoved to the
wayside. Anger and bitterness surround us. It is too easy for us to lash back
at comments made or what we feel are cruel actions directed our way.
Perhaps we will love them tomorrow...when it’s
easier...or when they deserve it.
Yet we rely, with confidence, on God’s loves for us,
as undeserving as we are. Isn’t that the whole point of Christmas? I find
myself humbled by the simple fact that God did so much to prove His love for
me. That is what Christmas means to me. And in that context, I am driven to try
my best to love others as well.
So this month’s newsletter is different than those I
have shared with you, dear friends, in the past. It is my deepest hope that
your home is filled with Christmas...the real...the living Christmas. That the
coming year brings you blessings, and health, but above all else...love. Love
which comes to you and those you hold near, and a love you would gladly share
to the world.
Merry Christmas,
John
Author of Misty
Creek and Elizabeth’s Journey
p.s.
I must add a bit of writing news. I have finished the
first revise of the third book of the Misty
Creek Saga. Next month the
manuscript goes to my editor and friend. So things continue onward. During
these weeks I hope to finish a draft titled Severed
Ties a standalone novel. So that’s where this writer guy finds himself at
the moment. Hope to have more to tell you next month.
JV
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