For as many times as I’ve heard the Christmas story, it amazes me that new aspects of the tale still capture me. This year it was the realization that, like Joseph, my advent is marked by a return to my hometown after significant time away. I have never before thought of the Christmas story as a homecoming.
Imagine Joseph, a good, honorable man, heading to his hometown with a mysteriously pregnant fiancee. While the gospels do not tell of encounters with his hometown buddies or relatives, I wonder if he did run into them (it seems likely, since everyone was heading home for the census). Whether he ran into them or not, I wonder if he worried about these potential encounters. What would they think of him? “Oh, how he’s changed,” they might assume, “impregnating a girl before their marriage!” Perhaps the angel’s messages gave him the peace and courage to overcome this anxiety.
Each time I return to the friends and family of my hometown, I am struck by how the circumstances of my life have changed, and often how I, myself, have changed. At times, I also feel a bit of anxiety about this: What will old friends think of these changes? When people unthinkingly voice assumptions about my beliefs, be it regarding religion or politics or ethics, I am reminded that I am not the same as I was when I was here before, and I find myself wondering whether that is good or bad or strange to others.
This advent reflection has spurred me to look beyond my own anxiety and consider how I treat others who, like Joseph and I, return home under new circumstances this year. When I greet old friends and family, do I engage them without assumption or judgement? Do I listen in a way that invites others to be honest about the new revelations, changes, doubts and beliefs in their lives? Do I respond to these new beliefs or circumstances with an open, honest heart, recognizing that even the changes that appear negative or worrisome may be the very place where God is most at work in someone’s life?
Joseph’s friends and family may have been concerned upon his home coming, but did they take the time to lovingly listen to his story? Will I? Will you?
Advertisement
“…do I engage them without assumption or judgement? Do I listen in a way that invites others to be honest about the new revelations, changes, doubts and beliefs in their lives? Do I respond to these new beliefs or circumstances with an open, honest heart, recognizing that even the changes that appear negative or worrisome may be the very place where God is most at work in someone’s life?”
Yes, yes, and yes. However, I’ve notice that, with myself, that’s easier said then done.
What are some of the changes that you’ve noticed in yourself?
I love this entry. What a great real life connection to the Christmas story. What a blessing it is to watch friends change and grow. You just keep getting more beautiful (inside and out)every time I see you!