Last night my sixteen year old son sang in his school choir’s holiday concert. I will just say that the program was a very ambitious collection of time honored works as well as new music. One could get carried away with over analyzing the program. I know I have to shut down my musical snobbery button and simply listen to the wonderful students excited about their own acts of music making. I just thought to myself, “Thank God this is good literature and I wasn’t trapped listening to a concert of Christmas music from the 50’s.”
What moved me so much was the absolute joy I saw in my son’s eyes as he had a place on the stage. His very being oozes music. I was watching him at the end of a number and he turned to a few other boys in the choir and they just looked at one another and laughed. My son could not have been in a moment that was more perfect for him than in that moment. I was thrilled for my “big ole stinky boy.”
I was reminded that, as a pastor, father, husband, etc., I can get so caught up in the business of the season that I forget to see the small expressions of joy around me. I could miss my youngest son sitting next to me rocking out to some of his favorite music. I could have missed my oldest son expressing his passion for being a part of a wonderful young group of musicians.
I hope that I never get so complacent and busy that I can’t experience and see the love which surrounds me as a pastor, husband, father, and friend. I hope that I never lose sight of the joy that is an integral part of the church as those of us who are in the choir prepare for the big Christmas Cantata. May we always find a brief moment of love as it surrounds us when we open a Christmas card. It lets me know that I am connected to something much bigger than which I am on my own.
Let us keep the joy of the season by finding the love in everything that we do. We will discover the basis of our hope and absolute dependence on God and how the Sacred is expressed in the care of others. May you find the joy in everything that you do in this Christmas season. God’s choicest blessings work through you and around you.
And as for that dad whose heart leapt for joy? There is no Christmas present greater than seeing your family happy. There is no store that can purchase it. There is no place that can manufacture it. I am fortunate to have been in a place to look and simply catch a glimpse of it. May my son have many more concerts that cause him to rear back and laugh for joy.
From a Pastor's Point of View 