December is for Diving Deeper

Jesus said to them, "I am the Way the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

It may be presumptuous of me to say this, but we have all heard the saying - December is for Christmas. As a child, I can recall so many fond memories of Christmas, but the one that comes to mind so effortlessly is the all-familiar Christmas carols that can be heard from every home as early as mid-November. These carols almost signal to the unconscious mind that something is about to happen or that 'It's here!'. Shortly thereafter, you can bet your dollar that the radio stations across the country will follow suit, and finally the stores. And before you know it, everywhere there's a bell ringing it's Christmas.

Almost overnight shops are transformed with the festive decorations and tidbits that we associate with the season of Christmas.  At this point, we have been entirely swallowed up - Like Jonah who ran from God and ended up in the belly of the whale, we too often run from fully living our Christian faith, and in the end, we are swallowed whole into the commercialized experience of Christmas. But how many of us really consider that it should be a time for us to dive deeper into finding out who we are? Where am I going? How can I navigate a clear path through all the madness of my everyday life? How do I sustain myself in times of disappointment?

In this week's post, it is my hope that the message will serve as a true reminder of what Christmas really means for us as Christians and why we should celebrate it - not as the end-of-a-year exercise or as a reason to spend all the money that we have accumulated all year round but rather as a time for us to dive deeper into reflecting and ultimately creating a better relationship with God our Savior.

In preparing for today, I found myself reading about the numerous creatures of the sea and how they survive in treacherous oceans amid the constant reality that they could become prey at any moment. Most importantly, I wanted to know why some of these marine mammals were rarely seen as they often stayed underwater for prolonged periods of time. I was prepared to have all my questions answered, but not for what happened next. In that, I learned that Christian living can be seen as an extension of diving. 

In this moment of leisure reading, I met the Lord. And what He revealed completely amazed me. Galileans, I was able to discern that despite the threat of death which can be instantaneous for numerous of these sea creatures who dare dive below the normal depths, many of them persisted. But why? They could have remained in the shallows? They could have continued with the bare minimum but they dived deeper? Why? I believe that's because they knew that by diving deeper they would find Food and Safety from their enemies but above all, they were not meant for the ordinary- the mundane.

In a similar way, I began to think about us Christians, and how we ought to strive to live our earthly lives. If we take a closer look at the Northern Elephant Seal, the Bluefin Tuna, or the Great White Shark who are able to function at incredible depths beyond 1,500 meters to find food and thereby survive another day, we too need to attempt to dive deeper into the waters of Baptism 'faith' so that we may find spiritual food, which is only accessible through renewal and a deeper relationship with God our savior.

 However, before they could swim at a deeper depth, these deep-diving creatures needed to learn several skills; the first and foremost is the ability to evolve both anatomically and physiologically and then finally be willing to adapt to both their changing abilities and the environment around them. In the same way, we have been given the season of Advent to reflect, reshape, and rejuvenate ourselves to welcome the King at Christmas. 

"While they were there, the time came for her Child to be born. And she gave birth to her firstborn, a Son. She wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn." Luke 2:7

Beloved, Christmas is not simply the time of year for remembering the birth of our Saviour, but also a time of expectant hope for His second coming. It's supposed to be the time of year when we spend the four weeks leading up to Christmas in prayer and preparation.  In so doing Galileans, you are encouraged to clean, sort, and bring to order not only our wardrobes and kitchen cupboards but the deepest crevices of our stubborn and impatient hearts. To bring together and toss out every trace of doubt in God's unfailing love for us, his ability to heal us, provide for us,, and His desire to give us the abundant life He has promised to all who serve Him. 

We must also be willing to identify those lies we tell ourselves, the flimsy excuses we make concerning changing our space 'environment' as the main purpose of these is to avoid confrontation with the skeletons in our closets. So as we clean our external space, let us clean our inmost hearts.

"The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy. I came that they may have Life and have it abundantly." John 10: 10

Like the deep-diving ocean creatures, sometimes it's only by diving deeper; into new 'territories' waters that we find the true will and purpose of the life that we are meant to live. By making a conscious choice this Christmas season, to forgo the frivolous outward reminders and seek those deeper more enlightening experiences that we will find the courage to take a chance; to walk a little closer to Him. In these moments of darkness and fear, we will find that our strength is renewed and that we somehow seem to have the willpower to tower above the noise and distractions; and its here, only here that we settle into the life that we were meant to live - one where we hear Jesus and answers His constant calls.

Here's a song for you to listen to this week as you contemplate the word of God this Christmas!

1.  Just like You, Jesus by Cece Winans

What are you reflecting upon this Advent season? How are you cleaning your heart? What are you hoping for this season? 

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See you again Beloved, right here next week by the Grace of the Almighty.