Another Christmas Day over – successful; more so than many, and yet……the day after……how do we keep the sparkle from tarnishing and the lights from dimming?
I have read in various places recently about unfurling our clenched hands……grace comes, but you must release that protective posture of clenched fists, unfurl those fingers and release that palm
– release it to open and receive grace
– release it to reach out to another and lift them up
– release it to raise up and praise the Creator
– release it to open up your body, spirit and mind to the possibilities of truly living
Not existence, not surviving, but radical, arms and hands open wide, twirling barefoot in the grass, head back, abandoned laughter, don’t care who is looking, kind of living
We live in a clenched world. Look around, listen to the news, listen to the radio, listen to the conversations that float around you – the world is an uncertain place. Wars, harm, crime, illness, the unexpected, the unprepared. Underneath the masks of money and prosperity and “I’m ok” lies of North America, lies the dust of uncertainty. Am I safe, am I enough, what will tomorrow bring, what will the next 5 minutes bring, am I ready?
And so we protect ourselves; from others, from ourselves – from outside harm, from the harm that comes with self doubt and guilt. And we begin to curl inwards. We self protect. First our hands become fisted – then our minds and spirits and even our physical bodies began to curl inward, taking up less space so as not to be noticed and therefore not a target. Fetal position – curled – protecting what we have so no one can take it away.
But in the process we become small. Physically we expose less of ourselves to the outside world. Then we began to close off our mind to the things around us. Bubble wrap our thoughts and beliefs. And then our spirits begin to shrivel. And we are no longer living. We are existing, surviving the day and the night to start all over again the next day. We are not living the arms and hand open wide, twirling barefoot in the grass, head back, abandoned laughter, don’t care who is looking, kind of life. Instead we are managing. One foot in front of the other, one day at a time, I’m doing “ok” kind of life.
The radical -ness of Christmas calls for more!
God incarnate. Emmanuel. God With Us- The Almighty God come to us in the form of a vulnerable, precious baby – hands curled as He cries for the first time and then uncurled as He reaches for His mother.
Born into a mess. The Romans are in power and are cruel. The Jewish people live in darkness and bondage. The only way out they can imagine is through violence and overthrowing the Romans. A Child born to an unwed mother. A journey across many miles to be numbered as if they were animals or property. Too poor and insignificant to find lodging. Born in a stable midst the heat and stench of humanity. The birth announcement made to the poorest, the outcast of the day – the Shepherds. Wisemen from another culture are the only ones that bring gifts. The cause of the death of unnumbered innocent boys under the age of 2 in Jerusalem. A family on the run from the government of the day.
What kind of story is this that has lasted for over 2000 years? That we take the time to celebrate every year? With lights and sparkle and gifts and celebration. It was a mess!
But in the midst of the mess there was a message – a message of hope and redemption.
And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Tools specific to Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. Luke 2: 9-14
God had not forgotten or abandoned them. God not only sent the Saviour as promised by the Prophets, the Saviour was the Son of God and He had come into their midst – into the middle of their mess. And there was no need to fear. Instead it was a time to unfurl those fisted hands and reach out toward the Glory that shone around them. To reach out and receive the Grace that had been brought forward.
And the Shepherds, the “least of these” opened up their hands in that moment – unclenched, they opened up their minds and their spirits and set out to find this Grace in the midst of them. Whether they knew it or not they were living that arms and hand open wide, twirling barefoot in the grass, head back, abandoned laughter, don’t care who is looking, kind of life. And they found themselves in the presence of the Most High – the Glory of God – the Grace of Christmas.
“And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.” (v. 20).
And that unfurling of themselves, that openness to receive Grace, led to joy as they became a light and an witness to those around them.
As I write, I receive an email from my friend and spiritual sister – also wanting to live the “arms and hand open wide, twirling barefoot in the grass, head back, abandoned laughter, don’t care who is looking, kind of life”. And in her email I see the truth the God is revealing in my life. I share with her:
I am working on my blog – I’m writing about clenched fists and clenched lives and the need to be wide open…….and I read your email and I know that it is truth – you are so wide open. People coming and going, in and out of your home; you love them, take care of their basic needs, feed them – transfer turkeys from house to house – chase after the Power – to take care of others. Open – What I’m calling “arms and hand open wide, twirling barefoot in the grass, head back, abandoned laughter, don’t care who is looking, kind of life”. You are living it!
In the midst of writing it, God shows me what it looks like – wide open living.
This Christmas I took a chance and unfurled my clenched fists. I unfurled my protective stance and opened my spirit to those and that around me. And in my wide open stance I found relief from the doubt, fear and anxiety. In the midst of the happy chaos of the Christmas Season, I let go. And as I unfurled, Grace came in and filled up the empty spaces.
Was it easy, no.
Was it worth it, yes.
Did I understand it at the time – kind of.
Do I want to understand it more fully – absolutely.
Some days in our wide open living we will FEEL the grace ourselves.
Some day in our wide open living the grace will be released for those around us.
In the moment and in the days following as they praised God and shared with others, the Shepherds felt the Grace – still covered in the Glory of the Presence of the Babe. But in the months and years after it must have been more of a struggle to stay wide open.
This Christmas I was living the arms and hand open wide, twirling barefoot in the grass, head back, abandoned laughter, don’t care who is looking, kind of life. But this morning, in the early hours of Boxing Day as I allowed my thoughts to ponder days ahead, rather than staying in this moment, I began to clench and protect. But the Graciousness of God showed me what I was doing and instead of protecting we decided to cause more chaos and mess – we started tearing up on bathroom flooring and I started my Christmas Baking. Yes, on Boxing Day!
This is my season to live the arms and hand open wide, twirling barefoot in the grass, head back, abandoned laughter, don’t care who is looking, kind of life.
