Goodbyes

I love this time of year. Snow starts creeping further south, football bowls are nearing, great food is everywhere for the eating. It's Christmastime.

Part of this Christmastime, though, comes the end of the academic semester. Graduation happens in December and, for some, their college life comes to an end as they move back towards home and away from all of their new friends. This makes for a difficult time during this season of joy. We will depart from these friends, and may not see them again for some time. We'll no longer pass them on the way to class. We'll no longer see them at church each Sunday. We'll no longer hear words of wisdom, comfort, and solice from them day in and day out. It makes me sad, and I am not alone. Many of us feel this way.

This Christmas (or celebration of capitalism as it has come to be known in America), I've been trying to seek out what Christmas really means to me -- and better yet, what it should mean to me. How are we to celebrate Jesus' birthday? Should we bake a cake? (yum...) Should we light candles? (eh, we already do that a lot) Should we buy lots of presents? (eh, already do that a lot too, just not presents for the birthday boy) What should we do?

So far, I've come to two conclusions. First, birthdays are here for celebration. Joy. Fun. Smiles. To really celebrate Jesus' birthday, we should be happy. Happy that he was born, in a manger, many years ago.

Second, the best way to celebrate the birth of the Christ is to remember Christ and practice Christ. It's what he told us to do. And I can't think of a better way to celebrate someone's birth than by following their wisdom and living it through our own lives. Especially since we're not just celebrating any birthday, but rather the birth of the Son of God.

Part of this celebration, though, brings me to reflecting on the entire life of Christ. Born a little babe in Bethlehem, he would grow up to save the world. Literally. His life tells us a story. A story that doesn't end on a cross, but continues past death. A story that continues to be written today.

We are that story now. Using the words of one of these seniors I will say goodbye to later this month, I must also remember that this goodbye is not really goodbye. Just as Christ defeated death, Christ has paved the way for us all to live in eternity with him and each other. So this is not goodbye. In the spirit of Christmas, the coming of the Son, it is "see you soon." And so we shall.

Merry Christmas,
chris

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