Yesterday I made the “mistake” of going Christmas shopping.
Now, the shopping itself was not a mistake, after all I still have a few people I need to get gifts for. Going yesterday, this late in the holiday season was the mistake. But it was one of those things – I didn’t get out looking for gifts for these people earlier, and it is too late to purchase on-line.
The shopping was not 100% successful but it was an interesting afternoon of people-watching. I had to dodge the cars in the parking lot as people in a hurry tried to find good parking spaces. I had to dodge shopping carts in the stores, especially from one shopper that had just checked out, was leaving their cart behind, and after looking at me coming left it parked across my aisle and path of travel anyway. And I had to make decisions about what to buy, and try to find gifts that match people.
While I was not totally successful I did get the highest priority items bought, and at a good price thanks to pre-holiday sales ( and that’s why I shop so late in the season… yah, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it. 
), and I got some stuff for myself off a clearance rack.
In case you were wondering – yes, I did drop out of writing this blog for a while. Where did that jump come from? Yesterday as I was moving around the stores it was clear to me that each of us have certain priorities, certain habits, and approach life from our own vantage point. Yesterday it seemed that others were in a hurry to get to the shopping, get it done, and get out of there. Focus was not on the “reason for the season” but on the mechanics of getting through the season.
Similarly, this fall my life was filled with other priorities and I fell out of the habit and routine of writing this blog. It began when I went on vacation in August. When I got back I had about a month of intense work on writing for the GA Special Committee that I am on. By that point, my routine was broken and it was really easy to disregard this blog and say I’ll do it later.
Well, it is later and I’m trying to pick it up as I finish out my moderatorial year.
But in our spiritual lives there is so much that we can get out of the habit of, that we can place at a lower priority, that we can say “I’ll get back to that later.” Sometimes these are secondary parts of our lives and can be placed on hold. But sometimes, we let the “tyranny of the urgent” get in the way of our more important spiritual focus.
I pray that in this week we all may focus on the miracle of the Incarnation that we celebrate in a few days, and understand how that changes our lives so that we don’t live them only in the urgency of the moment, but in the sweep of the eternal.
Have a Joyous Christmas knowing that we celebrate “God With Us,” Emmanuel.
Post Script
Hat tip to First Presbyterian Church of Santa Barbara which is the PC(USA) Featured Church right now.
Having broken my pattern and intention of praying for all of the churches in our Synod I won’t resume my list this late in the year, but I would encourage you to pray for the professional leadership and staff of our eight Presbyteries this week.
