Last week I preached a sermon suggesting we try to “unhurry” Christmas, and I challenged the congregation to listen again to the familiar Luke 2 passage on the nativity and see if they could spot who was in a hurry the night the Christ Child was born. See if you can spot it, too:

Luke 2 (Common English Bible)

2 In those days Caesar Augustus declared that everyone throughout the empire should be enrolled in the tax lists. ² This first enrollment occurred when Quirinius governed Syria. ³ Everyone went to their own cities to be enrolled. ⁴ Since Joseph belonged to David’s house and family line, he went up from the city of Nazareth in Galilee to David’s city, called Bethlehem, in Judea. ⁵ He went to be enrolled together with Mary, who was promised to him in marriage and who was pregnant. ⁶ While they were there, the time came for Mary to have her baby. ⁷ She gave birth to her firstborn child, a son, wrapped him snugly, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the guestroom.

⁸ Nearby shepherds were living in the fields, guarding their sheep at night.⁹ The Lord’s angel stood before them, the Lord’s glory shone around them, and they were terrified.

¹⁰ The angel said, “Don’t be afraid! Look! I bring good news to you—wonderful, joyous news for all people. ¹¹ Your savior is born today in David’s city. He is Christ the Lord. ¹² This is a sign for you: you will find a newborn baby wrapped snugly and lying in a manger.” ¹³ Then a great assembly of the heavenly forces was with the angel praising God. They said, ¹⁴ “Glory to God in heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors.”

¹⁵ When the angels returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go right now to Bethlehem and see what’s happened. Let’s confirm what the Lord has revealed to us.” ¹⁶ They went quickly and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. ¹⁷ When they saw this, they reported what they had been told about this child. ¹⁸ Everyone who heard it was amazed at what the shepherds told them. ¹⁹ Mary committed these things to memory and considered them carefully. ²⁰ The shepherds returned home, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. Everything happened just as they had been told.

So, Joseph made his way by foot and donkey from Nazareth to Bethlehem a distance of about 90 miles. Not in a hurry.

Mary takes time to wrap Jesus snugly in his blanket, and later spends time in reflection, pondering things in her heart. Not in a hurry.

The angels manifest in the sky and have a choir practice to announce the good news. Not in a hurry.

Later in the story, actually about two years later, the wise men show up with their Christmas presents. Definitely not in a hurry!

So who was in a hurry? The shepherds. “Let’s go RIGHT NOW to see what’s happened. And they went QUICKLY and found the baby laying in a manger.”

But don’t miss the point: they left their WORK to rush into Jesus’ presence. 

Maybe we could do the same today. In the midst of our holiday hustle and tasks, we could stop and leave our work. We could slow down long enough to hurry in another direction. We could put our activities on hold so we might quietly meet with our Lord. We could be settled and silent in the presence of Jesus.

As a result we just might discover an unhurried holiday: a season that will strengthen us spiritually instead of sapping our energy and joy. If we strip away all the extra stuff, maybe we will find ourselves in Jesus’ presence.

So in this moment, unhurry yourself and sit in Jesus’ presence. Breathe in the essence of peace and exhale out all your anxiety. May God bless us, everyone.

Merry Christmas!

Advent Wreath by Becca Ziegler