Day 10
There's a star in the East on Christmas morn,
Rise up, shepherd, and follow.
It will lead to the place where the Christ was born,
Rise up, shepherd, and follow.
Flipping on the stove, Celia melted some butter in the pan as she tried to untangle Althea’s excited narrative. “Slow down, Althea, tell me what happened.”
Breathlessly, Althea began, “Pastor Alaina was helping the Women’s Guild decorate the church. You know the big star that hangs over the manger on Christmas Eve? You know how we hang it up above the balcony on a long wire and that we move it along the wire toward the altar a little bit every week in Advent?”
Celia whipped the eggs waiting for Althea to get to the point. Althea had a big heart and was involved in every activity of the church but she was prone to panic at the smallest obstacle. Last year, the factory that provided ice cream for the Women’s Guild Christmas party had closed and Althea worked herself into a tizzy trying to find another outlet. She did and ice cream was enjoyed by all. When the organist caught a bad cold before a choir concert, Althea had called every church in the area to find a substitute. With her stomach in her throat and her heart on her sleeve, Althea got the job done.
“Well, Alaina was standing on one of the seats in the balcony when her foot went right through the seat — and then through the floor! The trustees have been warning us that the balcony was in bad shape for months, that’s why we closed it off, but we were putting off repairs until after the holidays. We heard a crunch, and then Alaina started to groan. The EMTs arrived in minutes. They had to cut around her knee to get her out. Her knee is shattered and she has to be in traction for four weeks! That takes her through Christmas! What are we going to do?”
Advent Challenge: What obstacles are getting in the way of your happiness? What worries are keeping you up at night? We all face obstacles and have worries. Jesus promised that he would always be with us and that he would send the Holy Spirt to help us. When we face obstacles, when we worry, we must rely on the ever-present Christ and the guidance of the Holy Spirt for support. Rest in God’s caring arms.
Prayer: If you take good heed to the angel's words, rise up, shepherd, and follow. You'll forget your flocks, you'll forget your herds, rise up, shepherd, and follow. Follow, follow, rise up, shepherd, and follow. Follow the star of Bethlehem, Rise up, shepherd, and follow. Ever-present Jesus, guiding Holy Spirit, help us follow you into peace of mind when obstacles arise or worries assail. Help us forget our troubles and rise up to follow you. Amen
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