#The Why of Christmas
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momentsbeforemass Ā· 2 years ago
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The why of Christmas
Thinking up the worst possible outcome.
Maybe even two or three or more ways that it can go wrong. And then getting stuck thinking about them.
Itā€™s one of my least useful skills.
Especially when it comes to imagining how someone is going to respond to something hard. Or how a difficult situation is going to work out.
If youā€™re like me, then you know how this ā€œskillā€ can really run you through the wringer. Long before anything has actually happened. Much less anything bad.
One of the worst ways that this plays out? With other people. Especially people we donā€™t really know. When we have to rely on what someone has told us about them.
Probably the most obvious (and most damaging) example of this is with God.
Hereā€™s why I say that. We live in a culture thatā€™s created a lot of versions of God that are horrible.
And itā€™s not just people who supposedly hate God. Some of the people who proclaim their faith the loudest proudly show off their petty, vengeful, resentful, hateful versions of God.
So itā€™s really no surprise that even people who donā€™t horrible-ize things imagine the worst possible outcomes from any interaction with God. Theyā€™ve been given every reason to get stuck thinking about God that way. Theyā€™ve been given every reason to stay away.
Except the truth.
Todayā€™s Gospel (Matthew 1:1-25) gives the names of the Son of God ā€“ Jesus and Emmanuel.
Jesus means ā€œGod saves.ā€ It tells us what God will do through Jesus, and how God works.
Emmanuel means ā€œGod with us.ā€ It tells us who Jesus is, and whatā€™s in Godā€™s heart.
Thatā€™s the truth about God. How do we know thatā€™s really the truth about God?
Because thatā€™s what plays out in the Incarnation. In the pattern of redemption that runs from Christmas through Good Friday to Easter.
God saves. And He does it by being who He is, by being God with us.
The thing to know is how God does it.
God doesnā€™t save us begrudgingly. God isnā€™t the God of ā€œif-I-have-to.ā€
God doesnā€™t save us judgmentally (although some of Godā€™s noisiest alleged followers want Him to be). God isnā€™t the God of condemnation.
So how does God do it?
Isaiah tells us in the first reading (Isaiah 62:1-5), and it has zero to do with anything about what you and I have done. Or how far weā€™ve wandered. Or how much we donā€™t fit in someone elseā€™s messed up version God.
Hereā€™s the truth. And itā€™s the why of Christmas, the source of the joy of Christmas.
God looks at you and loves you.
God looks at you and gets excited about being with you.
God delights in you.
This Christmas, may God fill your heart with the joy that comes from knowing just how much you mean to Him.
Readings for Christmas Eve
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reinbouxsworld Ā· 25 days ago
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Silly doodles of silly skeleton boy šŸ’€šŸ¤²
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egophiliac Ā· 2 months ago
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buckle up lads we're going BACK INTO THE BOOK
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#art#twisted wonderland#twisted wonderland spoilers#lost in the book with nightmare before christmas#hajimari no halloween#(the origin of halloween huh) (oooh)#why yes i did wake up way too early to watch the stream and will have no memory of drawing this later#anyway THE MAGIC BOOK IS BACK TO EAT US ONCE AGAIN!!!!#this does make things make a lot more sense if it doesn't have to. y'know. actually take place in the established world#like how jack and sally are apparently just gonna be THERE as themselves WHY NOT#i'm certainly not complaining mind you#scully looks like he's gonna be super adorable and i love him already#spooky scary skeleman who just goes :O a lot and is excited for halloween#he seems like he might actually be more of a fusion of jack and sally? or maybe i'm just reading too much into it#still getting jazzy vibes off of him though. is not scully j graves an incredible jazz musician name.#does this open up the possibility that the last time we went into the book there was a sexy anime boy stitch just offscreen the whole time#...maybe some things are best left uncontemplated#god everyone in this event looks fantastic i'm so glad i saved up some keys after all#a little sad that there's no lilia but you know what the fact that a halloweentown malleus exists is still pretty dang good#and sebek's hat is SO tall#the biggest hat for the loudest boy#i hope oogie is here too i need him and jamil to meet#i need jamil to be faced with a guy who's just a bunch of bugs standing on each other's shoulders in a trenchcoat#i am not coherent right now i just needed to get this out before i go pass out again
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hakogyi Ā· 2 months ago
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kensatou Ā· 11 months ago
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jā€¦ jesus oppa ;____;
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ihatebrainstorm Ā· 3 months ago
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small collection of sketchy doodlydodads from @bloominglegumes 's Jazz n Powl humanformers au bc they live in my head rent free all day everyday ;v;;
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courfee Ā· 11 months ago
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christmas season at the wolfstar flat
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tubbytarchia Ā· 14 days ago
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Someone's antlers fell off for winter
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paintedcrows Ā· 2 months ago
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Christmas Party of Two (Finished drawing here)
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lonelyzarquon Ā· 3 months ago
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secondary-colorentimy Ā· 2 months ago
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ill be real with u i hate the new guy it would have driven me insane if i didnt draw something other than his actual canon design šŸ’€
edit: point of reference i drew this the day we first saw him šŸ«”, still dont love his design now that we know his name lol
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tanblaque Ā· 11 months ago
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egophiliac Ā· 1 month ago
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everyone out of the way, this is the only thing I'm going to be thinking about from now on.
(okay, there is one more thing)
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parisoonic Ā· 11 months ago
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Don't talk incriminating shop infront of your boss at the office Christmas party.
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threshasketch Ā· 1 year ago
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A little winter Shazam and Billy Batson doodle.
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homoqueerjewhobbit Ā· 11 months ago
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A lot of Christians read A Christmas Carol and gloss right over the "pay workers a living wage" message and take away "not being merry on Christmas is a cardinal sin" instead.
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