So Many Choices!

Our eldest son and his beloved daughter took a trip to downtown Chicago this Christmas season. Matt loves to give Eloise experiences and she enjoys being with her daddy wherever the trip takes them. Matt’s work often takes him to the Windy City with all its hustle and bustle. He loves the waterfront charm, sky-scraper hotels, department stores, museums, and the infinite choices for dining and entertainment that the city offers!

Hmm! Everything Looks So Good!😮

During this get-away, the “Dad-Daughter Duo” dined at a new high-end restaurant to eat their favorite item on the seafood menu - sushi!! They also enjoyed the uproariously entertaining show, the Blue Man Group, with all their signature “speechless craziness!” Another of the more memorable experiences occurred one morning for breakfast at the Paris Baguette patisserie! When I saw pictures of such an assortment of delectable treats in their display case, I remarked to Matt, “Who said that only the French have the best breads and pastries? They haven’t been to Chicago!”

Maybe you haven’t thought about this, but Christmas is a time of choices. We can literally “buy” into the culture’s approach of commercialism and unbridled consumerism, and many do. Store sales skyrocket from late summer to Christmas Day as shoppers frantically try to outdo their last Christmas’ purchase of things that many of us have too much of to begin with!

The Windy City!

However, there is another and I like to think, a more sensible choice that we can make. This is a conscious choice that embraces a simple and decidedly spiritual approach to celebrating the birth of Jesus. Church services, focused on historic Advent practices, try to slow us down at a busy season. Candle lighting around a focal wreath along with sermon themes from the prophets and gospels keep us focused on what the Coming Christ-child did for the world.

Our online small group has been studying a book by Rob Fuquay, an Indianapolis pastor, titled On the Way to Bethlehem. This work has taken us on a journey to four familiar cities that are important in telling the Christmas story: Rome, Jerusalem, Nazareth, and Bethlehem. The one that I especially appreciated this Advent was Nazareth, the hometown of Jesus and his mother, Mary.

Nazareth plays a huge role in the Annunciation as the setting of the angel’s visit and the bestowing of divine favor upon Mary as the mother of the Son of God. (Luke 1:26-38). Some still regard this little town, of perhaps a few hundred, with hardly any distinction. Many must have questioned, “Why Nazareth of all places?” Yet, this is the place where Jesus would grow up in Joseph’s carpenter shop, spend the first thirty-years of his life plying a skillful trade, attending the local synagogue for worship, and hanging out with common people.

Pastor Fuquay calls Nazareth, “A Place of Simplicity.” This place may have been considered “without distinction” during the first century but it offers a much-needed contrast to the addictive hustle and bustle of consumer Christmas. Nazareth is a place “where we can simplify, reduce distractions, and be free to think, contemplate, and listen.” It’s a reminder that we need places and spaces in our lives which are simple and inviting, and where God can get our attention. Fuquay suggests that these spaces could look like "a closet in the house or a chair in the yard or a park bench or a table at the library or a pew in an empty sanctuary.” And then Fuquay asks his readers this probing question, “Do you have a Nazareth where life can slow down and quiet down?” (p.69).

God is trying to get our attention during Advent! What choice will we make that allows Him to break in to all the busyness, reveal Himself to us, and renew hope in our lives through the Coming Christ? There are many choices we could make, but let’s make the right one to find significance in this season!

Mike Keppler, retired pastor,
active churchman and
doting grandparent.
Contact: drmjkeppler@gmail.com
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